The pitch seemed to hold no terrors for Denmark when they replied to The Netherlands A side’s total of 203 in Rotterdam today. If the ball still tended sometimes to keep low, openers Freddie Klokker and Anders Rasmussen batted circumspectly to ensure that they kept their wickets intact.

Together they shared an opening partnership of 87 in 86 minutes until Rasmussen finally fell to one that kept low from Peter Borren and was bowled. Klokker batted superbly, and his driving square and through the covers was terrific; his fifty came off 86 balls in 93 minutes, with six boundaries.

With Zishan Shah he gradually took complete control; even Borren, the best of the Dutch bowlers, was unable to stem the flow of runs, and they added 67 for the second wicket in just twelve overs before Gokke came back into the attack and induced Shah to clip a lofted shot to de Grooth at point.

Michael Pedersen began very quietly, but with Klokker now motoring towards his century there was little real pressure. Gokke bowled a tidy second spell, and there was a momentary drop in the tempo with Klokker on 99, but when he squeezed the single that gave him his hundred he unleashed a powerful attack on Adeel Raja to move to 112 and take Denmark to the win.

Unperturbed throughout the proceedings, frequently taking up a position at incredibly silly mid-off and continuing to feed contentedly through quick singles and fluent off-drives and only moving a few meters when menaced by players and umpires was a solitary pigeon. Even this extra fieldsman was unable to tip the balance, however, as the Danes made their way relentlessly towards their target.

The most bizarre moment was when Klokker, on 99, finally lost patience with the bird as it pecked away on the edge of the track and swung his bat at it. It took off, flew in a leisurely circle behind the keeper, and landed just off the opposite side of the wicket.

The contrast between the two innings underlined the importance of good technique on such a wicket. There was barely a shout for leg before as the Danes knocked off the runs, while the five such dismissals in the Dutch innings spoke for themselves. Denmark will enter tomorrow’s match against the full Dutch side with great confidence from this decisive victory.