PAK vs NL 2nd Match Prediction

PAK vs NL Team Previews

Pakistan

The Pakistani batters had to struggle quite a bit against quality spin bowling in the recently concluded Asia Cup. Even their much-heralded pace attack was not really up to the mark. However, they do have a very good pace bowling attack. It is likely to bounce back and do well against the lowly ranked Netherlands. One of the team's greatest strengths is the presence of their skipper Babar Azam in their middle order. He adds strength to the line-up and it is largely thanks to his batting that Pakistan succeeded in reaching the number 1 position in the ODI ICC ranking recently.

The inconsistent performance from the openers has been a major worry for Pakistan in recent games. Fakhar Zaman being out of form puts a lot of pressure on the other established batters such as Rizwan and Babar Azam. The Pak spinners were also not in great touch in the Asia Cup paling in comparison to the other sides such as India in the Asia Cup. Some of the more dangerous players to watch out for are their opening ball combination of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf. Another important player in the middle order is Imam ul Haq. The average number of wickets to fall for every innings at this venue are seven. So, the lower order batting strength of Pakistan will be handy for them in case of a collapse.

Netherlands

The Netherlands will be carrying the flag of Associate teams in this edition of the World Cup. But the question is, do they have the experience and firepower to take the game to the established countries? They have certainly done it before. The Netherlands earned their spot in the competition after they finished second in the qualifiers ahead of full members Zimbabwe, West Indies, and Ireland. It is their first appearance in the main event since 2011 when the competition was held in the Indian subcontinent. It is 4th time they have succeeded in qualifying for the main draw of the World Cup.

The Netherlands lost all the 5 games they played in the 1996 competition when they made their debut. They have managed a couple of wins since then again against lowly-ranked teams such as Scotland and Namibia. There is not much you can judge about the recent form of the Netherlands team due to the lopsided scheduling of international cricket. The last time they played competitive cricket was back in July. However, they did record a few good wins against West Indies and Scotland in the World Cup qualifiers.

Although the stats for the Netherlands make for a demoralizing reading, the team will not be worried too much about it. They will be keener to get some useful experience while playing against established countries on a big stage. Keep in mind that they finished within the top two positions in the World Cup qualifiers without help from several of their top cricketers such as Roelof van der Merwe, Fred Klaassen, Brandon Grover, Timm van der Gugten, Colin Ackermann, Paul van Meekeren. Some of these players will be a part of the World Cup squad for the 2023 version.