New Zealand 333 for 8 (Young 120, Guptill 106, Floyd 2-41) beat Netherlands 218 all out (Myburgh 64, Henry 4-36, D Bracewell 2-23) by 115 runs
New Zealand gave the departing Ross Taylor a perfect send-off by comprehensively beating the Netherlands to seal a 3-0 sweep of the ODI series. Fittingly, it was him who took the winning catch, as centuries from Will Young, who bettered his career-best tally with 120, and Martin Guptill, who hit an ODI century after three years, fashioned their total of 333. The pair added 203 for the second wicket before a death-overs push by the lower order propelled them further.
But despite posting a competitive total, the hosts' defence started with a scare, as the visiting opener, Stephan Myburgh blazed his way to a 33-ball half-century, the second-fastest in ODIs for a batter from Netherlands. Myburgh cracked three fours in the opening over of the chase, slashing and driving Matt Henry at will.
Kyle Jamieson from the other end wasn't spared either, with Myburgh thrashing eight fours and a six within the first six overs of the reply as all hell broke loose. Having faced 24 balls out of those, he had raced to 43 while Max O'Dowd at the other end sat on 4 from 12 deliveries.
Tom Latham brought a double bowling change by introducing cousins Doug and Michael Bracewell in tandem, but that made little difference; Myburgh got into the offspinner Michael Bracewell with two successive sweeps - the first of which brought up his half-century - and a slash through point for four.
The Netherlands had galloped to 74 without loss in the mandatory powerplay - their highest in ODIs after the first ten overs - before Colin de Grandhomme pressed the brakes for New Zealand. Off the fourth ball of his first over, he dug in a slower ball on a short of a length and got it to angle away, as Myburgh found fine leg with his pull, departing for 64 off 43 balls. That wicket broke Netherlands' momentum, who then lost O'Dowd in the next over when Doug Bracewell got a leg-before decision overturned via DRS.
And although Vikramjit Singh and Bas de Leede put on 46 after taking their time, what was 128 for 2 soon became 177 for 7, with Henry grabbing three of those wickets, including his 100th in ODIs when he trapped Vikramjit for 25.
But the luxury of bowling to a big total on the board was provided to their bowlers by Young and Guptill, who had got together when New Zealand were 12 for 1 in the fifth over. They brought up their fifty stand in the 15th over, mainly depending on strike rotation as the bowlers kept it tight, with extra bounce playing its part too, much like it did in the second ODI on Saturday.
Guptill was the quieter partner, sitting on 36 off 59 balls after 18 overs, with New Zealand ticking over at less than five runs an over. But it was then that the two settled batters decided to take on the spinners Michael Rippon and Pieter Seelaar. Guptill bashed two fours and a six in the next three overs, where he and Young combined to pick 25. He got to his fifty off 66 balls with a six that sailed wide of long-off, as Young followed soon after.
Young raised his half-century after depositing Rippon for six, which went bang over the bowler's head. And like Latham did in the last match, Guptill and Young ensured the singles came kept coming along with the occasional boundary in the middle overs, which set the platform for what was to follow.
The two kept milking runs without looking uncomfortable until Young had a heart-in-the-mouth moment: when on 71, he pulled de Leede to deep square leg in the 34th over and found the man on the fence. But O'Dowd in the deep seemingly assumed he was about to fall over the rope and dropped it on to the field.
The last 16 overs brought New Zealand 158 runs, as they stepped on the gas thereafter. The carnage started with Young and Guptill finding the fence at will, as Guptill got to his century with another six over long-off. Although he departed for 106 in the 39th over after a short ball lifted off the surface to take his glove and helmet on its way to the keeper, it was Young who continued the hitting.
He too got to his second ODI century - the first of those had come in the first ODI of this series - with a maximum, before the shot of the day came from the man who mattered most. Taylor sent Logan van Beek over deep midwicket for six in typical Taylor way when he swung across the line in the first ball of the 41st over, with Young smashing a four and a six consecutively two balls later.
However, van Beek had his man soon after, when Taylor went to hack a slower delivery to the leg side, only to end up ballooning it to the keeper behind, walking back with 14 to his name in his final international appearance. New Zealand kept losing wickets after that, as their experiment of promoting Michael Bracewell, de Grandhomme and Doug Bracewell above Latham - who eventually came in at No. 8 - didn't work out particularly well.
Doug Bracewell cracked 22 off 9 balls, while Latham and Ish Sodhi provided the finishing touches, as they got to 333 and Taylor walked into the sunset with a win.
