Pakistan vs Netherlands: Babar Azam's side eye big win in World Cup opener
Pakistan will take on Netherlands in their first match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 at Hyderabad on Friday. The match is expected to be a one-sided affair, with Pakistan being the clear favourites against the associate nation.
SPORTCRICKET
Abhinav Gupta
9/26/20231 min read


Pakistan have a strong batting line-up, led by captain Babar Azam, who is ranked second in the ICC ODI rankings. He will be supported by Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Rizwan, Shoaib Malik and Asif Ali. Pakistan also have a potent pace attack, featuring Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf and Mohammad Wasim. They will be hoping to exploit the conditions in Hyderabad, which are likely to favour seam and swing.
Netherlands, on the other hand, are playing in their first World Cup since 2011. They qualified for the tournament by finishing second in the ICC Cricket World Cup Super League 2020-22. They have some experienced players in their squad, such as Pieter Seelaar, Roelof van der Merwe, Ryan ten Doeschate and Timm van der Gugten. They also have some promising youngsters, such as Max O'Dowd, Bas de Leede and Scott Edwards. They will be looking to cause an upset and prove themselves on the big stage.
The match will start at 2 pm IST and will be streamed live on Hotstar[^1^][3]. The weather forecast is sunny and dry, with no chances of rain. The pitch is expected to be flat and good for batting, with some assistance for the pacers early on.
Pakistan have a 100% record against Netherlands in ODIs, having won all four matches they have played so far. The last time they met was in 2009, when Pakistan won by 97 runs in Amstelveen. Pakistan will be aiming to continue their dominance and start their World Cup campaign on a high note.
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