ICC WC 2023: Match 2: Pakistan vs Netherlands: Preview & Prediction

Pakistan will kick off their World Cup campaign against the Netherlands in Hyderabad. In this article, we will be taking a look at the important aspects of the game from pitch reports to weather conditions, Players to watch out for, match predictions, and much more

Pakistan

The last month or so hasn’t been great for Pakistan as a team. It started with the loss in the Super Four clash against India where they faced the biggest defeat in terms of runs in ODI cricket against the arch-rivals. In addition to the embarrassing loss Pakistan also lost two of their key bowlers Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah as the fast bowling duo was ruled out of the tournament due to injuries. The loss to Sri Lanka in a do-or-die game added salt to the wounds.

 A disappointing Asia Cup campaign was followed by reports of some ego clashes in the dressing room between captain Babar Azam and leader of the fast bowling attack Shaheen Afridi which was denied by the team management and to make matters sound a photo of Babar attending Shaheen’s wedding was posted by the captain which suggested that everything was fine between the two. All things said there is no hiding from the fact that Pakistan will be under pressure having lost their last four matches including two warm-up games before the start of the World Cup.

Players to watch out for

Babar Azam

The Pakistani captain has been in magnificent form leading into the World Cup and needs only 26 runs to complete 500 runs in World Cup Cricket. The right-hander also broke Virat Kohli’s record to become the fastest batter to score 2000 runs in ODI cricket in just 31 innings. Despite his record-breaking innings in the last year or so Babar is a little short of runs following his century against Nepal in the Asia Cup opener. Since that marathon inning, Babar hasn’t been able to score big runs.

Shaheen Afridi

The leader of Pakistan’s pace bowling attack. Shaheen Afridi has made rapid strides since his debut in international cricket and has emerged as a good leader. He appears as someone who thinks a lot about his game and wants to give his best when he takes the field. The young fast bowler, who has bagged 86 wickets in 44 matches so far, could become the fastest to reach 100 ODI wickets for Pakistan. Legendary Pakistan off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq currently holds the record after achieving the feat in 53 matches. In order to break Saqlain's record, Shaheen needs to claim 14 wickets in his next eight matches.

Shadab Khan

Pakistan’s vice-captain Shadab Khan has had a forgetful time in ODI cricket in the last one year. He has a decent record in T20 cricket and has contributed immensely to his team’s success in the last two editions of the T20 World Cup with both bat and ball but has failed to crack the code in ODI cricket thus far. The leg spinner’s lack of form haunted Pakistan in the recently concluded Asia Cup where the team was knocked out in the Super Four stage of the tournament which raised questions over Shadab’s place in the 15-member squad for the World Cup. But the vice-captain was retained for the showpiece event.

 Pakistan’s director of cricket Mickey Arthur threw his weight behind all-rounder Shadab Khan as his team takes on Netherlands in its World Cup 2023 opener here at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Friday. 

Netherlands

The Netherlands was the second team that made it to the World Cup through qualifiers held in Zimbabwe along with Sri Lanka. They beat the West Indies in a high-scoring thriller which went into super over. Cricket in the Netherlands has improved quite a lot which is reflected in the team’s performance since the 2022 T20 World Cup. The men in orange knocked out South Africa on the last day of the league phase of the tournament which earned them a direct qualification to the 2024 T20 World Cup in West Indies and USA. The Dutch were able to replicate the performance in the World Cup qualifiers earlier this year where they almost beat Sri Lanka on their way to a place in the showpiece event.

Players to watch out for

Bass de Leede

The Dutch fast-bowling all-rounder can be the game-changer for the Netherlands in the tournament. His ability to bowl fast and accurately with the new ball makes him an asset for his team in the World Cup. Bass de Leede has impressed experts with his all-round ability as he is someone who bats at number three and can pick crucial wickets. Speaking ahead of the match, De Leede said the Netherlands want to make the semi-finals, insisting that they will have to take down one of the big teams to get there. Netherlands last won a match in the ODI World Cup in 2007, against Scotland. 

Scott Edwards 

Netherlands captain Scott Edwards is a very low-profile cricketer someone who can be described as a perfect leader that allows other team members to play with freedom while he himself takes the back seat a bit like former Indian captain MS Dhoni. It would be interesting to see how he marshals his troops in the tournament

Vikramjit Singh

Dutch opener Vikramjit Singh is an attacking batter who likes to take on the bowlers right from the word go. He is the kind of batter who plays impactful innings at the top of the order and provides a rapid start to the innings. He can also bowl some part-time medium pace as well which can be more than handy on Indian pitches

Form Guide (Last Five ODIs)

Pakistan - L, L, W, N/R, W

Netherlands - L W W L D 

Pitch Report

The Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium is a batter-friendly venue in limited-overs cricket, as the pitch in the second innings assists medium pacers and spinners. The ball slows down on the bat, and the surface starts to turn 

Head-to-Head Record

Pakistan has won all six ODIs played against the Netherlands, including the two ODI World Cup matches.

Dream11 Prediction Picks:

Wicketkeepers: Mohammad Rizwan, Scott Edwards

Batters: Babar Azam, Max O’ Dowd, Imam-ul-Haq, Vikramjit Singh

All-rounders: Bas de Leede, Shadab Khan

Bowlers: Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Logan van Bee

Dream11 Prediction Captain and Vice-Captain:

Choice 1: Babar Azam (c), Bas de Leede (vc)

Choice 2: Mohammad Rizwan (c), Vikramjit Singh (vc)

Match Result Prediction

Going by the record Pakistan should win the match comfortably but since this is the World Cup you can rule out the Dutch

Squads

Pakistan: Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Shaheen Afridi, Saud Shakeel, Agha Salman, Usama Mir, Abdullah Shafique

Netherlands: Vikramjit Singh, Max O’ Dowd, Wesley Barresi, Scott Edwards (c & wk), Bas de Leede, Colin Ackermann, Teja Nidamanuru, Roelof van der Merwe, Saqib Zulfiqar, Logan van Beek, Paul van Meekeren, Ryan Klein, Aryan Dutt, Sybrand Engelbrecht, Shariz Ahmad

Match Result Prediction

Going by the record Pakistan should win the match comfortably but since this is the World Cup you can rule out the Dutch

Date and time

October 6, 2023; 08:30 am GMT/02:00 pm IST/02:00 pm Local

Venue

Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad.

Probable Playing 11s

Netherlands Probable XI: Vikramjit Singh, Max O'Dowd, Wesley Baressi, Bas de Leede, Teja Nidamanuru/Colin Ackermann, Scott Edwards (c, wk), Logan van Beek, Saqib Zulfiqar, Roelof van der Merwe, Paul van Meerkeren, Aryan Dutt

Pakistan Probable XI: Fakhar Zaman, Imam ul Haq, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Agha Salman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf

Cover Credits: ICCofficial.com