Pakistan took on the Netherlands in their opening encounter of the ICC World Cup 2023 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad. Despite a dull batting performance, Pakistan cruised to an 81-run victory over the Dutch squad, maintaining their title as 1992 champions.
The Netherlands showed promise against an achievable target of 287, with Vikramjit Singh (52) and Bas de Leede (67) forming a good partnership. Pakistan’s bowlers, on the other hand, repeatedly took important wickets, eventually eliminating the underdogs for 205 runs in 41 overs.
A clinical display with the ball helped Pakistan to a big win against Netherlands in their opening #CWC23 encounter 👊#PAKvNED 📝: https://t.co/hqnUuGgEcL pic.twitter.com/pU0CsKfhjI
— ICC (@ICC) October 6, 2023
Haris Rauf (3-43) finished the job by bowling Paul van Meekeren out.
Earlier in the game, The Netherlands won the toss and elected to bowl. Bas de Leede led the Netherlands with 4-62, and Colin Ackerman had 2-39, placing Pakistan in a difficult situation.
Despite early losses of opener Fakhar Zaman and skipper Babar Azam, both of whom scored only five runs, Pakistan managed to score 286 runs in 49 overs.
Pakistan struggled during the powerplay overs, falling to 43-3. However, middle-order batsman Mohammad Rizwan (68) and Saud Shakeel (68) put on a vital 120-run stand for the fourth wicket. Their tenacity helped Pakistan retake control of the game.
Commanding partnership of 1️⃣2️⃣0️⃣ runs 👏@saudshak is dismissed after a superb 68 🌟#PAKvNED | #DattKePakistani | #WeHaveWeWill pic.twitter.com/5tRF01lzcu
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) October 6, 2023
The Dutch team staged a comeback in their first World Cup encounter since 2011. Aryan Dutt captured Shakeel, and paceman De Leede took Rizwan’s wickets. De Leede repeated his feat against Shadab Khan (32) in the 44th over, dismissing Hasan Ali lbw on the next ball. Mohammad Nawaz scored 39 runs but was eventually run out.
Despite the difficulties, Pakistan’s last-ditch effort paid off, scoring a vital win in their ICC World Cup 2023 opener.
Saud Shakeel has been named as Player of the Match.
The victory demonstrated their tenacity and persistence, laying the groundwork for their campaign in this famous cricket competition.
