World Cup Campaign
HYDERABAD: The Pakistan cricket team is aiming for a successful start to their World Cup 2023 campaign as they face the Netherlands at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium today.
Since their arrival in the city late last month, which marked the first time a Pakistan men’s side had landed in India in seven years, the team has utilized training sessions and two warm-up games to adapt to the city.
Pakistan is set to play their first two out of nine league matches in Hyderabad.
Babar, speaking on the eve of Pakistan’s tournament opener, mentioned that their preparations had been excellent. They had two practice matches, testing different combinations and giving players opportunities to perform in various situations.
Regarding the team’s strengths, the skipper highlighted both their batting and bowling. He noted the consistent performance of their batters throughout the order and the promising performance of their spinners, who have been taking wickets in the middle overs since arriving in India.
Today’s match against the Netherlands marks the first time in nearly 11 years that Pakistan will play an ODI on Indian soil. Furthermore, they have not played a single 50-over international game in Hyderabad since 1987.
Pakistan and the Netherlands have faced each other in ODIs six times, with their first encounter occurring during the 1996 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup. Pakistan has emerged victorious in all six of these meetings.
Last year, Pakistan embarked on a tour to the Netherlands, marking the first bilateral series between the two teams. Pakistan achieved a clean sweep during that series.
As they enter the 50-over World Cup, Pakistan is one of the favorites due to their impressive performance in the recently concluded World Cup cycle.
