Srinagar: Pakistan and Netherlands are aiming for a positive start to their ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 campaign on October 6.
Date and venue:
Friday 6 October, Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad
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.
Pakistan – Babar Azam
Pakistan skipper Babar Azam has already shown great form during the warm-up fixtures leading into the World Cup. He scored two half-centuries against New Zealand (80) and Australia (90).
Pakistan would hope that Babar continues his smooth touch into the World Cup. A solid option at the top, Babar will be the lynchpin of the batting line-up. His success as an anchor can help the more aggressive batting options around him to play freely.
Beyond batting, his counsel will also be sought when he leads the side onto the field.
Netherlands – Bas de Leede
Bas de Leede will follow in his father’s footsteps to feature in the Cricket World Cup. Like his old man, de Leede is an all-rounder and has displayed his calibre against big opponents. This was shown in Netherlands’ last international outing, the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2023 in Zimbabwe.
De Leede scored 285 runs at better than run a ball and was his side’s highest wicket-taker with 15 scalps. His finest moment came against Scotland, when he scored a century and took a five-for to lead Netherlands into the 2023 Cricket World Cup.
The Dutch will hope that de Leede inspires them to greater heights against Pakistan in Hyderabad.
Summary:
Pakistan enter the clash as heavy favourites, with a head to head record of 6-0 in their favour. After having experimented with a number of options in the practice games, the Men in Green would like to put their best foot forward against Netherlands.
Given the high-scoring nature of the Hyderabad wicket, which was on full display in the warm-up encounters, Pakistan will hope that Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed and Shadab Khan fire on all cylinders. They’ll also hope that their pacers settle into a good rhythm in the very first game.
For the Dutch, the game will be about getting ahead of Pakistan at the right stages and then holding onto that advantage. They will bank on their inspirational skipper Scott Edwards and a number of veterans in Logan van Beek, Roelof van der Merwe and Wesley Barresi.