Pakistan will lock horns against the Netherlands in their World Cup opener at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad on Friday. Both teams will be looking to make a winning start to their campaign and come up with a collective show.
We look at the current form, head-to-head, players to look out for, and squads of both teams in our match preview.
Current form for Pakistan: L L W NR W
Pakistan had lost their Super Four stage match in the Asia Cup against Sri Lanka and India and they will be determined to turn the tables. In fact, Pakistan are touring India after a long gap of seven years and they will aim to hit the ground running.
Current form for Netherlands: L W W L W
The Netherlands came up with a fine show in the qualifiers and they will be looking to carry the good show against the big teams. The Dutch will have to bring their A-game to challenge the potent Pakistan team in order to stand a chance.
Head to Head: Matches: 6, Won by Pakistan: 6, Won by Netherlands: 0.
Pakistan holds the advantage against the Netherlands as they have won all six matches.
Players to look out for: Scott Edwards (c), Max O’Dowd, Bas de Leede, Vikram Singh, Colin Ackermann, Roelof van der Merwe, Logan van Beek will hold the key for the Netherlands.
Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Haris Rauf will be the crucial players for Pakistan.
Netherlands squad: Scott Edwards (c), Max O’Dowd, Bas de Leede, Vikram Singh, Teja Nidamanuru, Paul van Meekeren, Colin Ackermann, Roelof van der Merwe, Logan van Beek, Aryan Dutt, Ryan Klein, Wesley Barresi, Saqib Zulfiqar, Shariz Ahmad, Sybrand Engelbrecht.
Pakistan squad: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim.
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