ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 Pakistan vs Netherlands: Saud Shakeel, Haris Rauf star in clinical win for Babar Azam-led side

ICC Cricket World Cup 2023: From the city of Nizams to the ground of cricket, the Men In Green, Pakistan, marked the onset of their ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 journey with an overwhelming victory over the Netherlands here at Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium on Friday (October 6).

The Pakistan cricket team exhibited an outstanding performance, paving the way to victory against a spirited Dutch bowling team led by the dynamic all-rounder, Bas de Leede.

PAK vs NED: Challenging First Overs For Pakistan

The game started on a nail-biting note after Pakistan were ushered into batting under the intense Hyderabadi sun. What followed was a depressing start for Pakistan with the top order falling cheaply.

Pakistani batsmen Imam Ul Haq, Fakhar Zaman, and Babar Azam were sent back to the pavilion quite early in the match, having scored diminutively in the first 10 overs.

Rizwan-Shakeel Turnaround from a Precarious Situation

Just as the bleak picture started setting a shadow over the Pakistani team, the impeccable duo of Mohammed Rizwan and Saud Shakeel came to the rescue. Shakeel, who is a debutant in the World Cup and received a call-up post his excellent performance in the Asia Cup, together with Mr Dependable of Pakistan cricket, Rizwan, steadied the ship.

They stitched together a critical 120-run partnership which laid the groundwork for a fairly commendable total for their team. Rizwan delivered a robust 68 off 75 balls with 8 fours, while Shakeel complimented with a power-packed 68 off 52 balls, punctuated with 9 fours and a six.

NED vs PAK: A Glimmer of Hope for Netherlands

The Dutch, with a daunting total of 287 to chase, walked in with a jittery start. The valiant efforts of opening batsman Vikramjit Singh, who scored a steadfast 52 off 67 balls, were not enough as the other openers, Max O'Dowd and Colin Ackermann, fell short.

However, Vikramjit's 70-run stand with Bas de Leede illuminated a glimmer of hope, but the fortune stayed with Pakistan as the Dutch team found themselves stuck at 205 in 41 overs.

Cricket World Cup 2023: Building Victory

Mohammed Nawaz and Shadab Khan played key roles towards the end of the innings, contributing significant runs that pushed Pakistan's score towards a decent total. The Pakistani bowlers Haris Rauf and Hasan Ali capitalized on the Dutch team's dwindling performance to tighten their reigns around the game. They strikingly performed as the leading bowlers, securing three and two wickets respectively.

The Men In Green controlled the match with an iron fist, proving their mettle in the international cricket arena. Their win over the Netherlands has skyrocketed their morale as they look ahead to carry this momentum into their next match against Sri Lanka on October 10, at the same venue.

The Dutch, despite their spirited performance, would need to regroup and strategize before they take on powerhouse New Zealand on October 9. The curtains of this World Cup encounter may have drawn to a close, but the flourish of cricket continues unabated.

Speaking about his team's overall performance in the game, Dutch star, Bas de Leede blamed the fall of wickets in the middle overs for the defeat. "I think we did pretty well to restrict them but we gave away 40-50 odd runs extra at the back end of the first innings. However, it was our batting in the middle overs which hurt us badly. My partnership with Vikramjit was going well but those three wickets in the middle stage cost us the game. We should have finished this game," said the all-rounder.

Saud Shakeel - who bagged the player of the match for his quickfire knock and the century-run partnership with Mohd Rizwan - said his team is happy to start with a good win tonight.

"We knew 286 was a good total and the quality we have in our bowling department, we were pretty confident. Our bowlers made good use of the conditions in the second innings," Shakeel said at the post-match press conference.