ICC Men’s CWC 2023: Babar’s boys ready for the Netherlands’ challenge
The second match of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 will be played between the 1992 World Cup winners Pakistan and a team that is playing its fifth World Cup, Netherlands. Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad will host the match on October 6.
ODI performance of Pakistan and Netherlands in 2023
The two teams have had a contrasting performance in 2023. While Pakistan played 16 ODIs, registering 10 wins, Netherlands played 13, accounting for five victories. In this World Cup, it will be the first time these two countries play an ODI against each other in this calendar year. Overall, Pakistan and Netherlands have taken on each other six times and Pakistan have ruled the roost with a 6-0 margin.
In the batting department, world number one batter and Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam has had a wonderful year scoring 745 runs in 15 ODI innings at an average of 50 and strike rate of 85. Besides, Fakhar Zaman (644 runs) with an average of 46 and strike rate of 86 has looked in phenomenal touch for Pakistan. For Netherlands, Maxwell O’Dowd (503 runs) has been the most prolific run-getter with an average of 39 and strike rate of 79. All-rounder Bas de Leede has the highest average of 48, scoring 285 runs in seven ODIs.
Among the bowlers, right arm fast bowler Haris Rauf has been the most successful bowler for Pakistan with 24 wickets in 13 outings, including two four wicket hauls and one fifer. For the Dutch, it is Bas de Leede again with the ball showing his magic with 15 wickets in seven ODIs.
Pakistan and Netherlands at the World Cups
Pakistan have played 79 World Cup matches between 1975 and 2019. Of the 79 matches, Pakistan have won 45 and thus have a success rate of 57%. On the other hand, Netherlands played 20 games between 1996 and 2011, winning two, and thus have a success rate of 10%. Head-to-head, these two teams have met twice in World Cups, with Pakistan emerging victorious on both instances.
Pakistan and Netherlands in warm-up matches before the start of ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023
Pakistan lost both their warm-up matches. They went down to New Zealand by five wickets and suffered defeat at the hands of Australia by 14 runs. Netherlands unfortunately could not get enough time on the field as both their matches were affected due to rain. While they could bat for 14.2 overs and bowl for 23 overs against Australia in the 23-over match, against India, the match was abandoned.
Pakistan v Netherlands: Squads, playing conditions, weather, and players to watch out for
Squads
Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim.
Netherlands: Scott Edwards (c), Max O’Dowd, Bas de Leede, Vikram Singh, Teja Nidamanuru, Paul van Meekeren, Colin Ackermann, Roelof van der Merwe, Logan van Beek, Aryan Dutt, Ryan Klein, Wesley Barresi, Saqib Zulfiqar, Shariz Ahmad, Sybrand Engelbrecht.
Playing conditions
Hyderabad will host the encounter between Pakistan and Netherlands at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. It will be a day-night match and the two teams will play for the first time here. The venue has hosted seven ODIs since 2005, out of which teams batting first have won four and teams batting second have won three. It is a high scoring ground, with the average first innings score being 288 and the average second innings score being 263. Expect a good contest between bat and ball.
Weather
The weather is expected to see clouds and sun. The maximum temperature attained during the day will be 33 degrees Celsius. There will be a thick cloud cover of 52% and no chance of rain. The wind will blow from the north-northwest.
Players to watch out for
For Pakistan, captain Babar Azam will have to bat deep and the team’s batting will be expected to revolve around him. The right-handed top-order batter has scored 428 runs at an average of 48 and strike rate of 88 in his last 10 ODIs. He will be expected to take the onus of team’s batting. Among the bowlers, left arm fast bowler Shaheen Afridi could be the X-factor player for Pakistan. His high front arm action and the ability to swing both ways can produce miracles. Afridi has picked 20 wickets in his last 10 one-day matches.
For Netherlands, Vikramjit Singh will be a vital cog in the team’s batting. The 20-year-old left-handed batter from Punjab has scored 392 runs in last 10 ODIs at an average of 39 and strike rate of 89. With the ball, right arm medium fast bowler Logan van Beek will be the player to watch out for. He is a good new ball bowler, who can deliver economical spells. The 33-year-old has picked 12 wickets in his last eight ODI appearances.
Match details
Date: October 6, 2023
Time: 2:00 PM IST
Venue: Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad
Live streaming: Star Sports, Hotstar
All the statistics are sourced from ESPN Cricinfo