World Cup 2023: Pakistan look to break opening match hoodoo as they take on Netherlands in Hyderabad

1992 champions Pakistan will kick-start their ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 campaign with a clash against the Netherlands at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on October 6.

Babar Azam’s side will take the field in Hyderabad for their World Cup opener against the Netherlands. They will be looking to get off to a positive start after an underwhelming performance in the recently concluded Asia Cup 2023.

Pakistan failed to reach the final of the competition, losing two of their three matches in the Super-4 stage. They were also hit with a barrage of injuries, with the most impactful one coming in the form of pacer Naseem Shah dislocating his shoulder, which resulted in him being ruled out of the World Cup.

Another issue for Pakistan going into the World Cup is their underperforming spin department. Their front-line spinners Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz have failed to fire off late. Shadab has picked two wickets in his last four ODI matches, while Nawaz failed to claim a single wicket in the Super-4 stage of the Asia Cup.

Azam will be banking on his world-class pace bowling attack to do the heavy lifting in the World Cup. The trio of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf and Mohammad Wasim Junior/Hasan Ali still remains a formidable attack. However, this Pakistani team has little to no experience of playing in Indian conditions, which could prove to be an unexpected curve ball if they don’t adapt quickly.

Meanwhile, the Netherlands will be looking to cause an upset in the second match of the 2023 World Cup. And they have a good chance at that since Pakistan has lost their opening match in the World Cup at the last two tournaments, and four out of the last five.

However, the Netherlands don’t particularly have a great track record in ODI World Cups, with their previous win coming in the 2007 edition, against Scotland.

They have also been robbed of 50-over encounters leading into the 2023 World Cup. Weather interferences during warm-up games, including one which was completely washed out by rain, have deprived the team of valuable playing experience. The last 50-over game they participated in was the World Cup Qualifier’s final three months ago.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Skipper Babar Azam and wicket-keeping batter Mohammad Rizwan will be crucial not just against the Netherlands but throughout the tournament for Pakistan. The two batters will be expected to do the bulk of the scoring for the Men in Green.

Shaheen Afridi will be vital with the new ball and will be expected to pick a few early wickets and peg the Dutch back.

Bas de Leede is the emerging star in this Netherlands team and will have to do a job with both bat and ball for his side. A lot will also depend on how experienced campaigners Logan van Beek and Colin Ackermann perform if they are to put up a fight against Pakistan.

PITCH AND CONDITIONS

The weather in Hyderabad is expected to be hot and dry, which could make for a high-scoring encounter. There was a bit of rain in the week gone by but none is predicted for Friday, October 6.

PREDICTED XIs

Pakistan: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (C), Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf.

Netherlands: Vikramjit Singh, Max O’Dowd, Wesley Barresi, Bas de Leede, Colin Ackermann, Scott Edwards (C & WK), Logan van Beek, Roelof van der Merwe, Shariz Ahmed, Teja Nidamanuru, Paul van Meekeren.