If the first of Belgium’s early-season series of matches against a young KNCB XI was disappointingly one-sided last week the second, played at Het Schootsveld in Deventer on Sunday, quickly turned into a rout, as the visitors went down to a massive 282-run defeat.

Only three members of the side which had lost in Amstelveen played this time, but the personnel changes did nothing to help the hapless Belgians bridge the gap between the teams.

After Dutch skipper Saqib Zulfiqar had won the toss and elected to bat the home side skilfully deployed the now-classic modern one-day technique of keeping wickets in hand early on and then cashing in in the final overs, eventually posting a formidable total of 336 for six.

On an easy-paced wicket openers Dirk van Baren and Roel Verhagen paved the way with a stand of 81 for the first wicket, and Belgian captain Abdul Rehman was forced to try six bowlers in the initial 13 overs before Waqas Ali Raja bowled Verhagen, on 25, with his first delivery.

Batting very positively, Van Baren continued, in partnership first with his captain and then with Rahil Ahmed, and he had made a 65-ball 56 before he fell to Sabir Zakil.

Ahmed and Tim Etman now shared a partnership of 59 for the fourth wicket, and after the former, having made 36, came down the wicket to leg-spinner Mussayab Jamil and was stumped by replacement keeper Fahim Bhatti, Etman and Sikander Zulfiqar added another 65 from just 47 deliveries as the tempo began to mount.

Assisted by indifferent bowling and some rather naïve field placings, Etman reached his half-century from 46 balls, and then immediately hoisted seamer Ashiqullah for two straight sixes.

In the following over he skied a pull shot off Waqas Ali Raja to square leg and departed for a 53-ball 65 which included five fours and those two sixes, and after Asad Zulfiqar came and went it was left to Shane Snater to support Sikander Zulfiqar through the final run feast.

Sikander was again in commanding form, continuing where he had left off last week, and the pair added 83 from the final 53 deliveries, Sikander ending with an undefeated 59 from 47 deliveries and Snater contributing 35 from 29.

All the Belgian bowlers suffered in this onslaught, although it was a mystery why left-arm seamer Waqas Shafiq, who started with three mostly tidy overs for 13 runs, was then removed from the attack, never to return.

But Waqas Ali Raja finished with three for 41 and Sabir Zakil with two for 61.

It was a daunting target, but the Belgian batsmen never seemed remotely likely to mount a convincing run chase.

Snater was again too sharp and too accurate for his opponents, and although Muneeb Mohammed and Hakim Khaksar shaped promisingly at first, within his five-over spell the Dutch new-ball bowler claimed four wickets for 16 runs, reducing the visitors to 26 for four.

Vivian Kingma kept up the pressure at the other end, and then Sikander Zulfiqar bowled five overs for just three runs and the wicket of Abdul Rehman.

Only Ashiqullah showed any real resistance, but when Saqib turned from seam to spin, he himself bowled Ashiqullah for 12 – the only man to reach double figures – and at the other end Mahesh Hans again ran through the lower order, picking up three for 17.

Belgium were eventually all out for 54 in just 23.3 overs, if anything a more dispiriting effort than they had managed in Amstelveen, and one can only be concerned about their prospects in the European Division 1 tournament in June if they cannot find a more competitive combination.

For the young Dutch prospects, the next challenge is a three-match visit to Guernsey at the end of this week, and it seems likely that the islanders will provide a stiffer test of the progress they have made over the winter.