BRANDON King and Keacy Carty’s career-best efforts of 91 not out and 43 not out, respectively, in an unbeaten 118-run stand for the sixth wicket, rescued West Indies from 99 for 5 and led them to a series win against Netherlands in Amstelveen.

King backed up his unbeaten 51-ball 58* from the first ODI with another half-century, and found excellent company in Carty as the duo chased down a target of 215 with five wickets in hand.

West Indies would have hoped for a much easier chase after Akeal Hosein’s career-best 4 for 39 helped bring about a Netherlands collapse of 10 for 113.

However, fast bowlers Logan van Beek and Bas de Leede fashioned a collapse of their own to threaten an upset in the second ODI.

King and Carty, though, resurrected the chase well. While King was more adventurous in his shot-making, Carty, playing just his second ODI, took his time to settle in before opening up his shoulders as the visitors eventually cruised home with 27 balls to spare.

Earlier, opting to bat first, Netherlands openers Vikramjit Singh and Max O’Dowd laid a solid platform in a 101-run opening stand. Both batters went toe-to-toe with each other in their run-making.

Vikramjit got the boundary counter running for the hosts as he ramped Alzarri Joseph over the slip cordon in the fourth over before driving the same bowler through mid-off. O’Dowd, initially sedate, picked Kyle Mayers through the backward square-leg region for a four and then drove him down the ground in his next over. It didn’t help that West Indies dropped both openers thrice inside the first 15 overs as Netherlands kept a steady run-rate going.

Netherlands brought up their 100 in the 21st over, but it all went downhill for them thereon. As was the case in the first ODI, the spinners, Hayden Walsh and Hosein, brought about their downfall.

Vikramjit was the first to depart when he pushed an innocuous, tossed-up ball straight back at Hosein for 46. While O’Dowd reached his fourth ODI half-century, he was soon undone by a short-of-a-length Hosein delivery that crept very low to bowl him.

With both set batters dismissed, Netherlands lost their way. Hosein sent back de Leede for 0 before Nkrumah Bonner claimed Musa Ahmed for 7. Hosein then claimed his fourth wicket, getting rid of Teja Nidamanuru for 4, with Netherlands suddenly finding themselves 159 for 5.

Scott Edwards, batting at No. 3, did his best to take his side to a respectable total but did not get much support. He struck 68 off 89 balls and was the last wicket to fall as the hosts failed to bat out their 50 overs. For West Indies, Hosein was the pick of the bowlers, while Joseph snarled two wickets at the end.

West Indies’ chase got off on the wrong foot with Shamarh Brooks and Shai Hope falling inside the first ten overs.

While van Beek had Brooks caught at first slip for 6, de Leede left Hope’s stumps in a mess with a stunning in-dipper for 18. de Leede then struck again, trapping Bonner for 15, while Nicholas Pooran dragged Aryan Dutt back onto his stumps, having hit him for a six a few deliveries earlier.

King and Mayers forged a bit of a fightback for the visitors, but once the latter fell on 22, with the team score on 99, Netherlands would have sniffed an upset. King, though, made sure he did not lose focus. At no stage did he let the Netherlands bowlers bowl too many dot balls, and even when Carty failed to rotate the strike, King kept the boundaries flowing.

Netherlands fluffed a couple of run-out attempts, but apart from that, there was little the two West Indies batters offered in terms of chances.

King, who smashed nine fours and three sixes during his knock, was named player-of-the-match for his effort. The final ODI is carded for the same venue tomottow. (Cricinfo)