PAK vs NED 1st ODI: Team Pakistan in their preparation ahead of the Asia Cup is currently stationed in the Netherlands to play a 3-match ODI series. The Pakistan team in a very interesting approach has chosen to treat this tour as a serious affair and has traveled with a full-strength squad that features their major players like Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, and many others. The boys in blue, ahead of the Asia Cup and the important T20I World Cup are in for some serious match practice and the 1st ODI was an exemplary display of the fact that team Netherlands can't be taken lightly.
In the first ODI, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam won the toss and decided to bat first. As Fakhar Zaman and left-handed Imam-ul-Haq walked in, people were considering them to go all out after the bowlers, but to everybody's surprise, the exact opposite thing happened. Vivian Kingma, spot on with his lethal fast bowling sent Imam back to the dressing room when he was batting on 2. Somehow, Fakhar Zaman carried on and was timing the ball extremely well. Next walked in Babar Azam, the skipper of Pakistan who has been enjoying a golden run in his career as of now.
Babar and Fakhar ensured that they steady Pakistan's ship as they stitched a partnership of 168 runs. Fakhar Zaman scored a run a ball 109 runs with 12 fours and 1 six. On the other hand, Babar Azam, making the most of the form he is in as of now scored a gritty 74 off 85 deliveries. Team Pakistan further saw many notable contributions from the likes of Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shadab Khan, which helped them reach 314-6 at the end of 50 overs.
When the Netherlands came out to bat, hardly anybody gave them any chance to chase the mammoth total down, especially against a lethal Pakistan bowling attack. But what they did was a great display of intent. The dutch started their chase courtesy of Vikramjit Singh's 65 off 98 deliveries. Tom Cooper later followed Singh's exploits and scored 65 off 54 deliveries. The hosts were cruising easily and at one point in time, they looked like the favorites to win the match. It was the innings played by wicketkeeper Scott Edwards which posed threats to the Pakistan cricket team. Edwards scored a quick 70 off 61 deliveries with 6 fours and 1 six. Eventually, the Netherlands could not keep up with the required run rate and fell short of the target by 16 odd runs.
Pakistan now leads the series 1-0 and will look to win it when they face the home side next.
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Teams:
Netherlands XI: Vikramjit Singh, Max ODowd, Tom Cooper, Bas de Leede, Scott Edwards(w/c), Teja Nidamanuru, Logan van Beek, Tim Pringle, Aryan Dutt, Wesley Barresi, Vivian Kingma
Pakistan XI: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam(c), Mohammad Rizwan(w), Agha Salman, Khushdil Shah, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah
