‘TV tootne se bach gaye’ – Fans react as Pakistan beat Netherlands by 81 in ODI World Cup 2023 clash

Pakistan and Afghanistan clashed against each other in the 2nd match of the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Friday, October 6. The Men in Green displayed a brilliant bowling performance as they defeated the Dutch by 81 runs and started their World Cup campaign with a convincing win.

In terms of the game, the Netherlands won the toss and chose to field first. The decision turned out to be a wise one, as Pakistan lost three wickets in the initial overs. Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, and Imam-ul-Haq were dismissed by the Netherlands bowlers inside the first powerplay

Nevertheless, Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan managed to stabilize the innings and put on a partnership worth a hundred runs. It seemed like they were on track for a high score, but unfortunately, both of them got out prematurely. They both scored 68 runs each, with Shakeel being slightly faster, reaching his total in just 52 balls.

Bas de Leede played a crucial role by taking wickets at important moments, which kept Pakistan from building a substantial total. There was another significant partnership between Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz, but they couldn’t carry it through to the end. Haris Rauf contributed 16 valuable runs towards the conclusion, helping Pakistan reach a competitive total of 287 runs.

Brilliant bowling performance by Pakistan

Chasing the target, Netherlands lost their opener Max ODowd in the 6th over, however, Vikramjit Singh did his job and provided a safe start to the team. He played a brilliant knock of 52 runs off 67 balls which included 4 fours and 1 six. He also stitched a 70-run stand for the 3rd wicket with de Leede.

However, Nawaz got Vikramjit in the 24th over and this is where the Men in Green made their comeback in the match. The Netherlands started losing wickets at regular intervals but de Leede tried to keep one end safe. But once again it was Nawaz who provided the much-needed breakthrough by dismissing de Leede in the 34th over.

Pakistan pacers did the rest of the thing by uprooting the Netherlands’ tailenders. Logan van Beek displayed some lofted shots but he didn’t get any support from any other batters. However, the Dutch will be happy with their bowling performance but the will surely look into their batting performance.

Here’s how fans reacted: