Pakistan is likely to replace opener Fakhar Zaman and Imam ul Huq for theirsecond match in the World Cup as both miserably failed to preform in one ofthe easiest match of the World Cup.
In Pakistan’s first encounter of the Cricket World Cup against theNetherlands, their batting struggles persisted, with three early wicketsfalling prey to the Dutch bowlers. Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, andImam-ul-Haq all made early exits, falling victim to the Dutch bowlers whoskillfully capitalized on the sluggish and low pitch conditions.
Fakhar Zaman, after facing three dot balls in the fourth over, was caughtand bowled by Logan van Beek for a mere 12 runs. Babar Azam, playing hisfirst official match in India, found it challenging to score and wasdismissed for just 5 runs from 17 deliveries. His attempt to pull a shortdelivery from Colin Ackerman only resulted in finding a fielder at mid-on.
Imam-ul-Haq also couldn’t make a significant impact and was caught at deepfine leg by Aryan Dutt, courtesy of Paul van Meekeren’s delivery, when hetried to pull a bouncer but ended up with a top-edge that soared high intothe air. Pakistan could only accumulate 72 runs while losing three wicketsduring the initial 14 overs of the powerplay. The Dutch bowlers maintaineda disciplined line and length, not allowing the Pakistani batsmen to breakfree.
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Prior to this match, Pakistan was asked to bat first as Netherlands’captain won the toss. This contest marked the commencement of thenine-match league stage of the ICC World Cup 2023, held at the Rajiv GandhiStadium in Hyderabad, India.
Pakistan’s captain, Babar Azam, expressed confidence in their preparationsand mentioned that they felt well-supported in Hyderabad. He also set anambitious target of 290 to 300 runs for their inaugural match against theNetherlands, adding that Hasan Ali and Shaheen Afridi were back in the teamand ready to deliver.