Aakash Chopra, the former Indian cricketer, took a playful dig at Pakistan’s batting woes in their inaugural World Cup encounter against the Netherlands. Pakistan, after opting to bat first, stumbled at the precipice of their innings, ultimately posting a target of 287 runs as they were dismissed in the 49th over.
On the digital realm of X, formerly known as Twitter, the Indian commentator labeled Pakistan’s batting performance as “predictably unpredictable,” humorously noting that Pakistan was, well, batting like Pakistan.
The early stages of Pakistan’s innings were tumultuous, losing openers Zaman (12) and Imam (15), along with Azam (5), with less than 50 runs on the scoreboard within the first 10 overs. However, a remarkable 120-run partnership between Mohammad Rizwan and Saud Shakeel provided a much-needed resurgence. Rizwan scored 68 off 75 deliveries, while Saud, making his World Cup debut, showcased a brilliant knock of 68 runs off 52 balls, boasting an impressive 130.77 strike rate.
Despite these heroics, Pakistan found themselves at 188-6 after the departure of the key batsmen. Nevertheless, a late resurgence led by Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan propelled the Green Shirts beyond the 250-run threshold.
Earlier in the day, the Netherlands, having won the toss, elected to field, aiming to take advantage of batting conditions under the floodlights at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.
Dutch skipper Scott Edwards expressed optimism about their performance against Pakistan, citing their recent encounters. Conversely, Pakistani skipper Babar Azam set a target range of 290-300 runs.
This marked the seventh ODI encounter between Pakistan and the Netherlands, with Pakistan emerging victorious in all six previous meetings. The Netherlands, the sole Associate side in the World Cup, relied on spin options including Roelof van der Merwe, Aryan Dutt, and Saqib Zulfiqar.
Playing XI:
- Pakistan: Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf
- Netherlands: Vikramjit Singh, Max O’Dowd, Colin Ackermann, Bas de Leede, Teja Nidamanuru, Scott Edwards (wk, c), Saqib Zulfiqar, Logan van Beek, Roelof van der Merwe, Aryan Dutt, Paul van Meekeren
