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Pakistan Cricket Team has been very popular for being UNPREDICTABLE! They were at the top of the table in the ICC Men’s ODI Ranking. But due to the Asia Cup’s poor form, they lost their top position and moved to the 2nd. However, Pakistan have started their mission in the World Cup 2023 with a victory against the Netherlands.
They beat the Dutches by 81 runs, but Netherlands showed potential with their bowling. The result could have been different if Netherlands’ middle order hadn’t collapsed.
Match Report
Dutch skipper Scott Edwards decided to bowl first after winning the toss against Pakistan. Initially, his decision seemed right as they took some quick wickets of Pakistan.
Dutch bowler Logan van Beek drew the first blood as he picked up the wicket of Fakhar Zaman in the 4th over. Captain Babar, who has been the best batsman of Pakistan, couldn’t contribute to the team today. Spinner Colin Ackermann picked up Babar Azam in the 9th over. Imamul Haque also departed after scoring only 15. As a result, Pakistan had gone three men down in just 38 runs.
But Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan strongly handled the initial disaster. From 38 to 158, they made a brilliant partnership of 120 runs for the team. Both scored 68 runs respectively, but Saud Shakeel was more aggressive than Rizwan. Shakeel played 52 balls, while Rizwan played 75 balls.
After those two batters, Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan made two small contributions to Pakistan. Nawaz added 39 before being run out, while Shadab Khan scored 32 off 34. Relying on them, Pakistan ended their innings with 286 runs, losing all wickets.
Dutch bowler Bas de Leede got four wickets alone, while Colin Ackermann got two.
Chasing the target, the Netherlands had a slow start. They also lost two batter within 50 runs, but the Dutches had a brilliant partnership on the 4th wicket.
Opener Vikramjit Singh added 70 runs together with Bas de Leede. Relying on their bats, the Netherlands were dreaming of making history. But Pakistan took control of the match when Shadab Khan picked up Vikramjit Singh in the 24th over.
Before losing the wicket, he scored 52 off 67. A few overs later, Bas de Leede also returned to the pavilion as Mohammad Nawaz bowled him out. Bas de Leede scored the highest 67 runs for the Dutches.
Unfortunately, the disaster started after losing these two batters. Pakistani bowlers took full control of the match eventually. Haris Rauf and Hasan Ali were on fire in their second spell. Due to their aggression, Netherlands became all-out in 205 runs. As a result, Pakistan won the match by 81 runs at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium.
Score Card
Pakistan: 286/10
Netherlands: 205/10
Result: Pakistan won by 81 runs
