Netherlands captain Scott Edwards won the toss and opted to bowl first against Pakistan in the second match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 here at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Friday.
With a 6-0 advantage in head-to-head matches, Pakistan enters the match as the overwhelming favourite.
Pakistan will be counting on Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, and Shadab Khan to perform at their peak levels given the high-scoring potential of the Hyderabad wicket, which was evident in the warm-up games.
The Dutch will need to lead Pakistan at the appropriate times and then maintain that lead in order to win the game.
Speaking at the time of the toss, Netherlands captain Scott Edwards said, “We will bowl first, might get a little bit easier under lights. For us, it’s about adjusting and seeing how the pitch is playing.”
“We will try our best with the bat. We are looking at 290-300 plus,” Pakistan captain Babar Azam said.
Netherlands (Playing XI): Vikramjit Singh, Max ODowd, Colin Ackermann, Scott Edwards(w/c), Bas de Leede, Teja Nidamanuru, Saqib Zulfiqar, Logan van Beek, Roelof van der Merwe, Aryan Dutt and Paul van Meekeren.
Pakistan (Playing XI): Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam(c), Mohammad Rizwan(w), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf. (ANI)
