Papua New Guinea cricket coach Dipak Patel believes things remain evenly poised after the first day of their Intercontinental Cup match against the Netherlands in Amsterdam.
After choosing to bowl and make use of the overcast conditions, the Barramundi's reduced the hosts to 117 for 7, with pace bowler Loa Nou bagging 5 for 49, but the Dutch lower order managed to get the home side through to 209 all out.
Timm van der Gugten then dismissed four of Papua New Guinea's top order to leave the visitors on 103 for 6 at stumps.
Mahura Dai is the Barramundi's top scorer with 26, while Jack Vare remains at the crease with John Reva.
Papua New Guinea cricket captain Jack Vare. Photo: Cricket PNG
Papua New Guinea cricket coach Dipak Patel Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Dipak Patel says both teams were a bit rusty from a lack of match-play but says the game is still very much in the balance.
"Everything seemed to be working pretty well and then it got away on us a little bit after having them seven for. So sort of a mixture day for both teams really and by the end of the day it's pretty even. We know that we've got a lot of hard work to do tomorrow but we realise we're more than capable of doing the same to them as well".
The four-day first-class tournament is a pathway to Test cricket, with the eight-team round-robin running until 2017.
