After playing a stroke-filled knock against Australia in the practice match in Hyderabad, Babar Azam will be raring to go against the Netherlands as the 1992 champions are set to kickstart their World Cup 2023 campaign at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Friday. A heavy defeat at the hands of arch-rivals India followed by a heartbreaking loss to Sri Lanka, Babar and Co. failed to live up to expectations at the Asia Cup which was a precursor to the One Day International (ODI) World Cup in India.
Pakistan's forgetful run in the continental tournament was followed by back-to-back defeats in the warm-up games for the ICC World Cup. According to Pakistan skipper Babar, the boundaries are small and there is no margin for the bowlers in India. This also means that Babar's Pakistan will expect their batters to contest a high-scoring game against the Netherlands in Hyderabad on Friday. The Green Army suffered a major setback in the lead-up to the World Cup as pacer Naseem Shah was ruled out of the ICC event. As a result, pacer Hasan Ali is expected to team up with strike bowler Shaheen Afridi in Pakistan’s World Cup opener.
Speaking ahead of the Netherlands' World Cup opener, star all-rounder Bas de Leede said that the Dutch side is not going to settle for anything less than a semifinal finish in India. The Netherlands have qualified for the ODI World Cup after 12 years. The Orange Army will be searching for their first win over the Green Army. Pakistan have emerged victorious in all of its last six meetings with the Netherlands.
HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD OVERALL:
{{/usCountry}}Speaking ahead of the Netherlands' World Cup opener, star all-rounder Bas de Leede said that the Dutch side is not going to settle for anything less than a semifinal finish in India. The Netherlands have qualified for the ODI World Cup after 12 years. The Orange Army will be searching for their first win over the Green Army. Pakistan have emerged victorious in all of its last six meetings with the Netherlands.
HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD OVERALL:
{{/usCountry}}Matches: 6
Pakistan win: 6
Netherlands win: 0
No result: 0
HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD WORLD CUP:
Matches: 2
Pakistan win: 2
Netherlands win: 0
No result: 0
LAST 5 MEETINGS:
Pakistan beat Netherlands by 9 runs on Aug 21 of 2022 in 3rd ODI match of series
Pakistan beat Netherlands by 7 wickets on Aug 18 of 2022 in 2nd ODI match of series
Pakistan beat Netherlands by 16 runs on Aug 16 of 2022 in 1st ODI match of series
Pakistan beat Netherlands by 97 runs on Feb 25 of 2003 in World Cup tie
Pakistan beat Netherlands by 9 wickets on Feb 21 of 2002 in Champions Trophy
FORM GUIDE
Pakistan - L, L, W, N/R, W (last five completed ODI matches)
Netherlands - L W W L D (last five completed ODI matches)
Did you know?
Superstar Babar needs to score only 26 runs to become the first active Pakistani batter to complete 500 ODI runs at the World Cup. Interestingly, Pakistan will end its losing streak in the World Cup if the Green Army upstage the Netherlands on Friday. The former champions have lost the first match of the World Cup in the last two editions of the showpiece event. The Dutch side has recorded only two wins in their last 15 games at the World Cup.