‘Isko upset count karenge kya?’ – Fans react as Pakistan crush Netherlands by 81 runs in ODI World Cup 2023

Pakistan and the Netherlands faced off in the second match of the ODI Cricket World Cup 2023 on Friday, at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. The 1992 World Cup winners defended a below-par total, securing victory by an 81-run margin. After winning the toss the Netherlands’ skipper Scott Edwards won the toss and elected to bowl first.

The bowling department of the Netherlands was lethal upfront as they put Pakistan in all sought-after bother by picking up wickets of the top order. At one stage the Pakistan team were reeling at 38/3 in 9.1 overs. But then came, Saud Shakeel (68) who combined brilliantly with the wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Rizwan (68) to provide solidity. The duo went to take the attack back onto the Netherlands bowler as they stitched a partnership of 120 runs in 114 deliveries. The southpaw was the aggressor of two but lost his wicket against the run of play.

Iftikhar Ahmed, aiming to maintain momentum, dismissed both himself and the well-set Rizwan after a partnership. Contributing to the total, all-rounder Shadab Khan scored a valuable 32. He partnered with Mohammad Nawaz, forming a crucial 64-run stand for the seventh wicket. Despite fluctuations, Pakistan was limited to 286 runs, falling short of completing 50 overs.

Netherlands needed 287 to win the tournament opener

In the quest to achieve the target, the Netherlands started cautiously. Both the openers played out the initial burst from Shaheen Shah Afridi and Hasan Ali. But the Netherlands’ smooth sailing was halted by Hasan Ali who removed Max Odowd (5) with a well-guided bouncer. This was the beginning of the downfall for the Netherlands innings as none of the batters got going. Bas de Leede (67) was the lone warrior for the Netherlands team who looked to take the attack back to the Pakistan bowlers. With some late spark from Logan van Beek only reduced the damage that was done as the side bundled out for 205.

Babar Azam and Co would have certainly gained a lot of confidence with this win. The star with the ball for Pakistan was Haris Rauf who picked up three wickets. The most important thing for Pakistan was that their spinner took wickets in the middle. Saud Shakeel was awarded Player of the Match award for his fighting knock of 68 runs off just 52 deliveries.

Let us look at how Twitter has reacted to this match:

https://twitter.com/advthc/status/1710321292757598431

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