The Black Caps will be blowing a sigh of relief, having recovered from an abysmal top order collapse to comfortably win by 118 runs in the second ODI against the Netherlands in Hamilton.
After an hour of play at Hamilton's Seddon Park on Saturday afternoon, it looked like the Black Caps were set to crumble to the most embarrassing defeat in their ODI history.
The world No.1 side collapsed to 32/5 inside the first 10 overs against the Netherlands, giving the touring side a strong chance of pulling off a historic win.
Only a sensational unbeaten century from captain and birthday boy Tom Latham, and some lower order support dragged the Black Caps to a respectable total of 264/9 at the end of their 50 overs.
READ MORE: Latham heroics salvage NZ after horror top order collapse
It proved to be too many runs for the Dutch to chase down on a difficult batting pitch, especially when both openers were dismissed inside the first seven balls of the innings.
Michael Bracewell ran through the middle and lower order, snagging 3/21 with some ripping off breaks.
Only Bas de Leede (37) and Vikramjit Singh (31) made scores of note, as the Dutch were bowled out for 146 and made to rue what was a massive opportunity to record the greatest victory in the nation's history.
The teams remain in Hamilton for the third and final ODI on Monday, where Ross Taylor will take to the field in his final game for New Zealand after a 16-year Black Caps career.
SHARE ME