On Friday, October 6, at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, the second match of the ODI World Cup 2023 pits a shaky Pakistan team against a confident Netherlands team.
Making it to the main tournament for the Netherlands is an impressive accomplishment considering that they weren’t considered one of the favorites in the World Cup Qualifiers, which were played earlier this year in Zimbabwe. However, they qualified for the team with a number of outstanding victories, including a Super Over victory over the West Indies. Even though Scott Edwards and company ultimately fell to Sri Lanka in the tournament’s championship match, they had already accomplished enough to earn tickets to the main event in India.
The European team’s roster offers a solid balance of youth and experience. Vikramjit Singh and Max O’Dowd, who play together at the opening position, are very familiar with one another’s skills and flaws as a result of their extensive playing time together. With 326 runs from eight matches at 40.75, 20-year-old Vikramjit led the Dutch team in runs throughout the Qualifiers. Also having a great campaign was skipper Edwards, who scored 314 runs in eight games at an average of 62.80 and a strike rate of 112.14.
Bas de Leede and Logan van Beek, two all-arounders who excelled at different points in the competition, will help the team maintain balance. When facing top-notch spin bowlers like Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana, the Netherlands struggled. As they will face many top-notch spinners during the 10-team competition, they will need to fix that problem. They must be mindful of the pace pair of Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf when playing Pakistan, though. Mitchell Starc scored three runs against Netherlands in the exhibition match against Australia, as the Dutch batsmen appeared completely unprepared for the left-arm seamer’s pace and swing.
Pakistan’s recent form has been all over the place. In a three-match ODI series in Sri Lanka, they easily defeated Afghanistan, although they were pushed to the edge in game two. The Asia Cup 2023 came next, and Babar Azam’s team played a deceptive game. In the Super Four stage, they came in last on the points standings. Pakistan lost the two exhibition matches it played against Australia and New Zealand prior to the ODI World Cup.
Iftikhar Ahmed and Mohammad Rizwan have both contributed runs, in addition to Babar Azam. The ‘Men in Green’ will need players like Imam-ul-Haq and Fakhar Zaman to perform well, though, if they are to advance far in the competition. The pacers will be crucial for Pakistan in the meanwhile. The onus will be on Shaheen and Haris to provide the Asian giants with the crucial breakthroughs now that Naseem Shah has been sidelined due to injury.
Pakistan will be concerned about Shadab Khan’s performance because he has recently struggled to bowl in tight lines and has made length errors. However, Mohammad Nawaz has displayed strong form leading up to the competition, which should support the former champions.
Pitch & Conditions for PAK vs. NED
The Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium’s pitch has a reputation for being favorable for batting. Scores in excess of 300 were recorded in each of the venue’s two warm-up games’ four innings. Winning the toss and choosing to bat first may be a wise move, but a total under 350 may be chaseable. Pakistan will be more familiar with the circumstances than their opponents because they played both of their warm-up games here.
Potential starting lineups for the ODI World Cup 2023, match 1: PAK vs. NED
In the first game, Babar Azam would probably stick with his more seasoned players. As a result, individuals like Mohammad Wasim Jr., Usama Mir, Abdullah Shafique, and Salman Ali Agha can be left out.
Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (C), Mohammad Rizwan (wk),
Netherlands
The players that performed well in the qualifying matches and advanced the Dutch team will be relied upon. Roelof van der Merwe, a skilled spin-bowling all-rounder, has however returned to the setup and should play.
Shariz Ahmad, Logan van Beek, Roelof van der Merwe, Aryan Dutt, Paul van Meekeren, Vikramjit Singh, Wesley Barresi, Bas de Leede, Teja Nidamanuru, Scott Edwards (C & wk),
PAK vs NED Head-to-Head in ODIs
| Matches Played | 6 |
| Pakistan Won | 6 |
| Netherlands Won | 0 |
| First Played | 26-Mar-96 |
| Last Played | 21-Aug-22 |
PAK vs NED Broadcast Details:
| Date | Friday, October 6 |
| Timing | 02:00 PM IST |
| Live Streaming | Disney+ Hotstar app and website |
| Live Broadcast | Star Sports Network |
India
