WATCH: Pure village! Dawid Malan six sends Netherlands players, ground-staff searching for the ball in the bushes

A rare and rather funny moment occurred during the first innings of the three-match ODI series opener between Netherlands and Englands in Amstelveen on Friday, June 17. 

The hosts put England in to bat, and Dawid Malan, who was in at No.3 after Jason Roy’s early dismissal, smashed Netherlands skipper Pieter Seelar for a huge six off the first ball of the eighth over. The left-arm spinner tossed one around the off-stump, and Malan stepped down to hit it over long-off for a soaring six. 

The ball was lost in the dense bushes beyond the boundary ropes, and two Netherlands fielders – Tom Cooper and Logan van Beek – went in for the search with a couple of camerapersons and a few ground staff members joining them. There were some typical village “You’ve got it?” expressions during a search that extended a minute, before van Beek finally got the ball, and was greeted with cheers from the rest around as they all headed back to the field.

Watch the six and the funny “lost and found” sequence here:

Drama in Amstelveen as the ball ends up in the trees 🔍 pic.twitter.com/MM7stEMHEJ

— Henry Moeran (@henrymoeranBBC) June 17, 2022

Earlier, Roy was castled by his cousin Shane Snater for 1 in just the second over of the innings. Malan would add 222 in just 28.1 overs with Philip Salt, as the latter raced to an 82-ball hundred – his first in ODIs. The opener fell to van Beek for a 93-ball 122, striking 14 fours and three sixes.

Jos Buttler was promoted to No.4, and the keeper tonked four sixes early into his innings – three in an over off Seelar – before Malan too, got to his maiden ODI ton.

England were 283/2 from 36 overs at the time of writing.