ROTTERDAM: Pakistan won the toss on Tuesday and decided to bat first against the Netherlands during the first fixture of the three-match one-day international (ODI) series.
The match is taking place under the lights of the Voetbalvereeniging Cricket Stadium in Rotterdam.
Pakistan will be without the services of world number three ODI bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi, who is not available for the first two games due to a knee injury.
But despite the setback, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam was optimistic about the series and hoped that youngsters will step forward and fill Shaheen’s gap.
“In the absence of Shaheen Shah Afridi, this is an opportunity for youngsters to come forward and showcase their skills,” the captain said a day before the match.
This is Babar-led Pakistan ODI squad’s first-ever bilateral series against the Netherlands. Two further matches will take place on August 18 and 21.
The three-match series is part of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League where the visiting side occupies the fifth spot with 90 points. Babar’s side will be aiming to win all three matches to grab the second position in the points table.
A couple of milestones are on the cards for Pakistan’s premier players. Number one ranked ODI player Babar Azam needs one more century to become the only Pakistan captain to score 10 tons in international cricket. Wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan requires 18 more runs to complete 1,000 ODI runs.
Imam-ul-Haq, who trails his skipper Babar on second spot in the ICC batters’ rankings, will be looking to continue his rich vein of form after amassing seven fifty-plus scores on the trot in ODIs.
He was declared player of the series for scores of 65, 72 and 62 in Pakistan’s 3-0 win against the West Indies at home in three-match ODI series in June 2022.
Playing XI
Pakistan: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan, Agha Salman, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah
Netherlands: Vikramjit Singh, Scott Edwards (captain), Wesley Barresi, Tom Cooper, Teja Nidamanuru, Max O’Dowd, Bas de Leede, Tim Pringle, Logan van Beek, Aryan Dutt, Vivian Kingma
More to follow
