Live Report - Netherlands vs Pakistan, World Cup 2023

Eventually, the bowling proves to be too much for the Dutch.

Haris Rauf, arguably the world's best fast bowler at this moment, brings out a fist pump even though he dismisses the No. 11. That was a fun cat-and-mouse game to keep us intruiged while the game petered off. He finishes with 3 for 43.

Other bowling positives for Pakistan would be Hasan Ali's terrific new-ball spell on ODI return. Shadab Khan getting the ball to turn, Nawaz offering control and Iftikhar picking up a wicket would please them too. In certain instances, the Dutch were actually ahead in this game, and they'll take forward the lessons from this defeat with eight more league games to go.

It also seems a long time back, but don't forget the partnership between Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan (120 in 114 balls). They both struck 68 after Pakistan were 38/3 early. Had they not put that stand, this game could've gone in a totally different direction. For that half-century of his, Shakeel pips Bas de Leede to the POTM award.

On that note, adios friends. Plenty of subplots to enjoy today, and they'll all be broken down in the match report that shall follow very soon. See you tomorrow.

Paul van Meekeren has faced two short balls this evening. One from Hasan Ali and another from Haris Rauf. After both such deliveries, the No. 11 batter ended up having a chat with the respective bowler. Suppose the gentleman likes to live dangerously. Even gave out a roar in Haris' direction after creaming the bowler for four.

Van Beek is struggling to run. And now he's only got the No. 11 Paul van Meekeren by his side.

Netherlands now hoping to protect their NRR while Pakistan doing their best to try and get an NRR boost.

At the 2019 World Cup, Pakistan suffered a big defeat against West Indies, which dented their NRR so much that it cost them a semi-final spot after tying with NZ on 11 points and being eliminated as fifth. I'm sure it'll be in the back of their mind coming into 2023.

As the camera pans towards the stands, it is great to see lot of fans still hanging around. They have been terrific neutral supporters. Even though their numbers have been low today, their enthusiasm has been high.

A proper salute to Bas de Leede but his vigil has been ended by Mohammad Nawaz, and you have to wonder if that is that for tonight.

He kept Netherlands in the game almost single-handedly in both innings, but eventually, the mismatch of overall quality between the two sides (especially in batting) got exposed.

He walks back for a 67-ball 68, and wears a disappointed look, but everyone (including Pakistan fans) would salute him for his effort today.

The only reason I put a (?) at the end of the heading is because Logan van Beek is in at No. 9, and this man is a massive hitter of the ball. Also alongside him is Roelof van der Merwe, a proper soldier of the sport, so it would be unfair to totally call it curtains. Netherlands 164/7 in 33.3 overs. They'll also now look back and regret the 100 runs they conceded between batters No. 7 to 11 in the first innings.

The bottom line is that de Leede has only the lower order to play with now, and the required run-rate has gone above 7.

The quicks are breathing fire too, and Shadab is bowling like a different bowler. All that means Netherlands need a miracle from here on. Good thing for them is that they're not unfamiliar with WC miracles. Netherlands 152/5 in 31 overs

Whichever way this game goes, de Leede's performance today is stuff of legend. Becomes only the tenth man in ODI World Cup history to hit fifty and take a four-for in the same game, but on a personal level, his six off Haris Rauf would bury some ghosts.

Last time around at the T20 World Cup, Haris had left de Leede with a cut under his eye. When Haris tried a short ball again today, de Leede pumped him for a pulled six and brought out a smile.

Teja Nidamanuru's family came to watch him play an international game for the first time today. But his participation has been cut short, dismissed on the boundary line. Tried to take Haris Rauf on for a pull, but found the fielder.

In walks Scott Edwards, and the whole of Netherlands wants him to produce a captain's innings. But he lasts only two balls. Done in by a ripper from Haris, and he's trapped lbw. De Leede meanwhile stays on 49 while watching two fellow batters walk back.

Netherlands 133/5 in 26.4 overs and now need something special to overcome this target. Haris, in fact, could've had a third wicket in the over - but Iftikhar drops Zulfiqar first ball!

Vikramjit Singh has made the grave error of losing his wicket after reaching a landmark. Shadab came around the wicket, and Singh thought the angle of the legreak turning in was perfect for the pull. Tried to chew too much vs the big boundary on the leg side, and Netherlands lose a wicket against the run of play.

Teja Nidamanuru, who was born just 280km away in Vijaywada, now walks in at No. 5. He needs to develop another partnership with de Leede. de Leede, in particular, now becomes all the more important now.

Netherlands 120/3 in 24 overs and Babar sniffs an opportunity to pick up another wicket. Brings back Haris Rauf.

On social media, Pakistan fans are delighted that their wristspinner is among the wickets.

Without making much noise, the pair of Singh and de Leede have reached a fifty stand at a run-rate of almost six. Singh, who was looking to be the anchor early on, is still looking to play that role, but he's now seeing the ball well and he's telling Pakistan that. Not afraid to come down the track and tonk one straight back, neither is he troubled to pull off the back foot. He's inching closer to a sixth 50+ score, but dare I say his most important yet.

de Leede metronomic with his run-scoring, on a run-a-ball 34. Wonder if Babar will go back to Haris and/or Afridi very soon again. Spin is clearly not being very effective.

While the young man bats, let's hear in on what South Africa speedster Dale Steyn thought of his four-for.

Just when the spinners had put on a stranglehold, a (relatively) expensive Nawaz over has brought some energy back into this chase. Barring the six, most of the cricket ha sbeen low risk, and yet they've managed to put on 30 in 36 balls.

The gameplan for the Dutch seems simple. Singh to play the long hand and de Leede to be a bit more adventurous. Netherlands 80/2 in 17 overs with Shadab getting his first spell after the drinks break.

Imagine exposing your stumps first ball to a part-timer, and then missing the sweep. That's what has happened with Colin Ackermann, and Iftikhar Ahmed gets the second. Pakistan are chipping away, with Netherlands 50/2 in 11.1 overs.

Bas de Leede now at No. 4. He scored 110 runs in three innings including a fifty plus score against Pakistan last year. He also produced 285 runs at the CWC qualifier. This was crucial in Netherlands booking a ticket for the World Cup as they had to chase down 278 in 44 overs to go past Scotland’s NRR.

He does have room for improvement, though: he has the lowest SR of 68 amongst batters from World Cup teams since 2021 (minimum 500 runs).

Nothing added between overs 5.1 and 7.5. It is the 17th ball that finally brings a four, but that too in a dangerous manner. Ackermann with a drive that had short cover interested.

Interestingly both teams scored 34/1 after eight overs.

Hasan Ali shows that experience does count for something. Sticks with the Test match length long enough that when he brings out the short ball, Max O'Dowd is unable to connect with the pull well. Taken at deep fine leg and he very nearly adds a second when Colin Ackermann edges one that fell short of the slip cordon.

That wicket has made Singh tentative once again and Pakistan are getting louder in the field. Allows Shaheen to find his rhythm in a quiet follow-up over too.Netherlands 30/1 in seven overs

Its going as per plan for the Netherlands.

Max O'Dowd and Vikramjit Singh, who average 50+ as an opening pair, have successfully seen off the first two overs from Shaheen Shah Afridi and have scratched 15 runs off the target in three overs. Hasan Ali's late movement away, though, is keeping both batters on their toes, however you can see them growing in confidence.

As an aside, Pakistan are definitely aware of how important saving runs will be. They have been electric on the field with the captain and vice-captain leading by example, throwing their body around when needed.

Pakistan have three seamers. They also have three spinners. And all six are bowling in the side nets during the break. Let's break down this second innings while we wait:

- Overall, spin bowling is a big problem for Pakistan. Their ball/wkt ratio of 42.4 is terrible and since 2019 WC, it gets even worse away from home. They concede 50.8 runs per wicket away and need 56 balls for one scalp!

- Haris Rauf has been at the top of the ODI format with 52 wickets to his name since 2021, which is only second to Mohammed Siraj's tally of 53. Netherlands will also have to survive that twilight period when the new ball also behaves funky. In ODIs, nobody has taken as many 3+ wickets as Haris (10 times) and Pakistan will need that version to turn up.

- And when it comes to Hasan Ali, form suggests there's a problem with his ODI bowling. Since CWC 2019, no bowler has had a higher economy (6.9) than Hasan in ODIs. The two people near him on that list(Navdeep Saini 6.9, Isuru Udana 6.8) are nowhere near contention in their international sides.

I'm certain of one thing, though. The injured Naseem Shah will be watching this from the TV and hoping he was out there. The Dutch opening pair of Max O'Dowd and Vikramjit Singh have batted together a lot, and the Netherlands will be hoping they atleast see the new-ball phase out, even if they end up starting slow. Shaheen Afridi will be quite the handful though.

Haris smacks 4,6,4 in his short stay, but then he gets greedy. Ackermann goes full and wide expecting Haris to charge at him, and that's what he does. Stumped courtesy Scott Edwards' glovework, and that brings an end to Pakistan's innings at 286 all out.

Babar Azam had said at the toss they'd be aiming for 290-300. Well, they've got there (almost), but the issue is Netherlands have the momentum despite it.

Some people believe momentum is a myth, but there are others who think it can really work. Netherlands are buoyant after this kind of performance but Pakistan's fast bowling will be breathing fire. Pakistan also need a big shift from Shadab and Nawaz. This won't be easy to chase, not one bit, but if dew comes in and Netherlands put up a couple of solid partnerships, the game could be an absolute World Cup classic.

Plenty of action in the space of fifteen seconds! Pakistan try to run off a misfield... and Nawaz is short at the keeper's end.

Terrific recovery from Ackermann, the bowler, to throw the stumps down. He first got pinned on the ankle after a throw from short third was too strong. That tempted the batters to pinch a single and Nawaz was slower than Shaheen to get off the blocks. Ackermann chose the right end, and then found bulls eye. Pakistan nine down at 267 in the 47th over.

Bas de Leede is back, and he has struck. Scratch that. He has struck off back to back deliveries!

Bas de Leede's father Tim had a forgettable 1996 WC match against Pakistan, out for a duck, but some new memories are being written for the de Leede family. He now has four!

Shadab Khan was the one who posed more danger in this partnership, and de Leede has relied on his accuracy to pick him off. Shadab frustrated, punching his helmet, knowing he's fallen at just the wrong time for 32. Next ball, de Leede gets a length ball to ping Hasan Ali on the pad for lbw. Shaheen Afridi survives the hat-trick ball.

Meanwhile official attendance: 7531

This year, Shadab Khan has a strike-rate of 127 between overs 41-50. Nawaz's is 117. It will only get higher the longer they bat today. 300 still on the cards, yes?

A reminder about the avg first-innings score in Hyderabad is 288, but winning score is 327. The last time a game happened here though in Jan 2023, Shubman Gill pumped a double ton and India made 349. But this is not the same pitch as that Gill game. Bit two-paced, but not terribly.

A few twos run with full intention, a couple of boundaries and a slogged six has helped the pair of Nawaz (14* of 23) and Shadab Khan (22* in 21) keep Pakistan on course for a competitive total.

There are plenty of overs left but this is the last recognised batting pair. The next 11 overs could be fascinating. Netherlands know this is the last partnership that could hurt them bad. Pakistan 219/6 in 39 overs

Bas de Leede has made it an over to remember! Rizwan out third ball of the over, and then Iftikhar is caught behind too in the last ball. Minimal footwork and the wicketkeeper Edwards with a solid dive. Half-hearted shot from the batter and a full-throated roar from the bowler.

Pakistan have now slid from 158 for 3 to 188 for 6. The lower-middle order is now exposed with Shadab joining Nawaz.

Shakeel went for 68. And now Rizwan must too. Bas de Leede bursts through in his return spell, and Rizwan sees his stumps clattered. Rizwan was the initial accelerator in this Pakistan innings but very smartly took the back seat when Shakeel was going all guns blazing. Done in by a skiddy delivery but not before scoring his seventh fifty from No. 4 in 2023.

Now that he's also gone, Pakistan have two new batters in the crease and as we break for drinks, Netherlands have an opportunity to discuss game plans with 18.3 overs to go. Pakistan 182/5 in 31.3 overs

A sweet photo below as well.

Aryan Dutt's first spell with the new ball was superb. His tight bowling helped the other Dutch bowlers pick off a couple of wickets.

Now back in his second spell, Dutt finally gets his reward for bowling well. Tempts Shakeel to go for a slog sweep, and he's sliced a catch to end his stay. Gone for 68, and the 114-ball partnership of 120 is now broken.

Shakeel played a magnificent innings of 68 at a strike-rate of 130, and some extra dip from Dutt's delivery may have forced his batting demise. He'd be as proud of his innings as he'd be disappointed with his dismissal.

New batter Iftikhar Ahmed is in, and Netherlands will be hoping to pull things back again. Pakistan 159/4 in 28.2 overs

The quiz show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire has a 'lifeline' called 50-50 which is meant to help rescue you from a sticky position.

And that's exactly what Shakeel and Rizwan have done with their own fifty-fifties. Shakeel got there in 32 balls and Rizwan follows suit by getting there in 59. The pair have also put on the hundred stand, and are rollicking at 6.7 per over.

That has also helped make up for the slow start. They've scored a whopping 45 runs in the last five overs and the score reads 146/3 in 25.3 overs. Netherlands look exhausted now and Shakeel in particular has been toying with the field.

Shakeel smacks Roelef van der Merwe for a boundary over the leg side despite deep midwicket and long on in position. At first it looks risky because there are two outfielders there.

But that's a calculated move because Shakeel knew exactly what he was doing. Netherlands had an extra fielder outside the circle and therefore it was going to be a no-ball irrespective.

Even though the umpires don't call the no-ball right away, Shakeel protests, and once they realise, they call it. The free hit is then tonked for six, and you wonder.... is the momentum now turning towards Pakistan? Both Shakeel and Rizwan in their forties with Pakistan 121/3 in 22 overs

Ten fours between the pair in their unbeaten 57-run partnership, and they've motored along at a run-rate of almost six.

Some expressive batting after surviving a few close chances and Pakistan appear to be back on track. The pitch has normalised and attacking shots from Mohammad Rizwan and Saud Shakeel are bringing value.

When it comes to Rizwan, in particular, he's been Pakistan's best batter recently. In 2023, he has found success at No. 4 and in 15 innings is averaging at 62.8. He's on course to reach his seventh fifty from that batting position for the year, but what he'd love even more is getting his maiden century from that position this year! His two ODI centuries have come from No. 4, albeit both in 2022.

He wasn't even born when his father Tim de Leede played against Pakistan in the 1996 World Cup. Fast forward to today, and here's Bas de Leede bowling to the same opponents at the 2023 edition.

He'll have to keep things tight, though, with Rizwan (in particular) and Shakeel keeping Pakistan's tempo high despite the wickets. Shakeel welcomes him with a four over mid on. Pakistan 78/3 in 15 overs

There's also been a situation in the 14th over. The umpire called it 'over' with only five balls delivered!

#MustRead: Father and son at World Cups: the different journeys of Tim and Bas de Leede

The Dutch have collected 42 dots in the powerplay, and after the third wicket, Shakeel has already earned a very streaky four to third man and Rizwan has very nearly inside-edged Dutt too. Shakeel has also survived a chance at slip, put down by Vikramjit Singh!

In the lead up to the WC, Van Meekeren had said: "Hopefully, with a little bit of more experience that we've got now, we can upset a few teams, like we did in the T20 World Cup, and just cause a bit of chaos in the landscape.

"The quality we have got now in the batting, which always was a bit of our weakness, it's so much stronger, so much more consistent now that I believe we can chase the big scores. If we can come home with another headline like 'Dutch cricket spoiled India's World Cup' by knocking them out in the last round, who knows," he laughed.

To make matters worse for Pakistan cricket overall, they've lost to Afghanistan in the Asian Games semifinal too.

Lowest placed team at the World Cup?

Only associate at the World Cup?

If you ask Netherlands that, they'll say those are merely words and have zero value. And indeed they are backing it up with Paul van Meekeren dismissing Imam first ball of his spell! Welcomed the left-hander with a short ball and he ended up playing a very timid pull to fine leg. Pakistan 43/3 in 10 overs and they're gonna feel the pressure now.

All eyes on Saud Shakeel - only five ODIs old - and Rizwan. The jitters are real. It is also a golden opportunity for Shakeel to stand up, having been preferred over Salman Ali Agha in the XI.

Pakistan lose 2/3rds of all matches (since CWC 2019) where they lose two wickets in the batting powerplay.

And they've indeed lost a second wicket with Babar Azam pulling a ball to midwicket. Aryan Dutt's tidy offspin didn't earn him a wicket, but his four overs for only 12 runs put enough pressure on Pakistan for them to play shots once a new bowler came.

Colin Ackermann, also bowling offspin, strikes in his third ball, with his height allowing some extra bounce too. Pakistan 34/2 in 8.3 overs Babar and Imam were both looking nervy and the captain fell the moment he showed any sign of aggression.

Onus now on Imam, who is playing a few more shots after a slow start. Imam himself is an enigma, being one of only three current openers with 50+ batting average (min. 2000 runs). However, his away average of just over 30 is usually one of concern.

One some days, Logan van Beek can single-handedly lead Netherlands' charge. We were witness to it against West Indies at the World Cup qualifier, and here with the ball, he has made an opening statement.

Fakhar Zaman caught and bowled in a soft manner, much to the disappointment of the Pakistan fans backing him to come good. His batting average is almost single digits in the second-half of 2023.

Anyway, Babar joins Imam with Pakistan 16/1 in four and Netherlands don't mind continuing with Dutt's spin from the other end either.

Also read: How Logan van Beek's Plan B took him to the World Cup

Teja Nidamanuru's maternal grandmother, who he says has promised to make him loads of pappu, will be among those in attendance today. Nidamanuru was born in Vijayawada, some 280 kms away from Hyderabad, before work took him to Europe.

He's not the only player who'll feel at home here. 20-year-old offie Aryan Dutt traces his origin to Hoshiarpur, Punjab. Vikramjit Singh has family near Cheema Khurd in Jalandhar.

And it shall be Dutt himself who will kickstart proceedings for the Oranje. Spin first ball! Yum.

The toss is done and Hasan Ali will be playing, as will Fakhar Zaman. Babar Azam, imho, has lowballed on his team's potential score today. Maybe he's underselling Pakistan's batting approach today, hoping not to put unnecessary pressure on his top order from toss time itself.

They have stuck with Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz in the middle order, which squeezes Usama Mir out. Mohammad Wasim is the fast bowler left out.

Netherlands, who choose to bowl first, have a terrific powerplay economy in ODIs. Between the last WC and this edition, they've conceded only 4.4 per over in the first ten, the lowest among all 2023 World Cup teams.

But one stat that Netherlands will not like is their poor powerplay wicket returns despite the low bowling economy. In the 21 ODIs where they've taken 0-1 wickets in the PP, they've won only 2 games. For 2 powerplay wickets, their win-percentage is 29%, for 3 powerplay scalps, it is a 66.67%.

The average first innings score in Hyderabad has been around 288. The average first innings winning score has been around 322.

Also read: Men in Orange: How Netherlands grew a big-game mentality

The back-and-forths about Pakistan arriving in India are behind us. They're now well and truly here, even if they are tired of answering questions about Hyderabadi biriyani. Even though their security has been heavy, the hospitality (mehmaan nawaazi) has been thoughtful. In that sense, they're very well acclimatised.

The other question surrounding Pakistan is which version will turn up - will it be the one from 1999 and 2011 where they looked really good, or will there be chaos?

Their director of cricket, Mickey Arthur, for starters, has laid the gauntlet down by saying they have "unfinished business from 2019." Spicy!