Cricket: Will Young and Blair Tickner make good on pre-match promise in Black Caps' win over Netherlands

Will Young and Blair Tickner were the standout performers at Bay Oval. Photo / photosport.nz

Domestic teammates turned international roommates, Will Young and Blair Tickner just about made good on a pre-match vow in the Black Caps' victory over the Netherlands.

Young brought up his maiden ODI century by hitting the winning runs at Bay Oval last night, a few hours after Tickner had taken 4-50 on debut to set up a comprehensive seven-wicket triumph.

Unfortunately, that wasn't quite what was promised, as Young later explained.

"I'm actually rooming with him here at Mt Maunganui," the batsman said. "We sort of said this morning before coming to the ground that we should get a hundred and a five-for.

"So not quite there but Ticks will certainly take four."

The Black Caps will also take those kind of performances in the two matches to come in this series at Seddon Park, the Central Districts pair having earned rare opportunities with a dozen frontline players away at the IPL.

Young has in the last year begun to establish himself in the test team, but two games against Bangladesh at the end of last summer represents the sum of his ODI experience.

There may soon be an opportunity for the 29-year-old to play more white-ball cricket for his country, given the impending retirement of Ross Taylor, but for now he's relishing the chance to shine for the second-stringers.

"We've had a taste of it over the last 12 or 18 months with Covid - the Black Caps haven't always put out their strongest team," Young said. "There's been second-string teams, I guess you could say, which you could argue this is with the IPL going on.

"It's really cool because you go toe to toe with these guys in domestic cricket over a number of years, so to put on the fern like we did today and run out there together is a really cool feeling."

That emotion would have been enhanced once Young registered three figures yesterday. He came to the crease in the fourth over and hit eight boundaries and three sixes in a man-of-the-match display, looking especially comfortable playing off the back foot while putting away the short ball.

Young's 162-run second-wicket stand with Henry Nicholls meant the target of 203 was never in doubt. But it wasn't until his 114th and final delivery that Young reached the milestone, having been in danger of running out of runs to collect as some intrigue was added to what had been a straightforward affair.

"When you're chasing a small total like 200-odd, it can be a bit tricky," Young said. "So we tried to just bat like we were batting first. We tried to set a good platform after that first 10, and then after that looked to take solid options and score off as many balls as possible through those middle overs.

"[Nicholls] and I put together a really nice partnership, which put us in a winning position, and then it was nice to finish it off at the end there."

If Young had one regret it would have been that, before he stroked the winning boundary, Taylor had been dismissed for 11. Having watched the veteran while growing up, Young was now focused on sending him off in style.

"Ross has had an amazing career," he said. "I watched him as a young lad sitting on the banks of Pukekura Park when he was slapping it into the pond, and now to be playing with him over the last couple of years has been a real pleasure.

"He's scored a hell of a lot of runs at Seddon Park, so hopefully he goes out there and does just that."