Pakistan and Netherlands will square off on Friday at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad with both teams kicking off their International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup 2023 campaign.
Pakistan are a strong contender in this edition of the ultimate cricketing tournament, however, the Netherlands will be looking to spoil some parties along the way.
Head-To-Head Record:
Pakistan has faced the Netherlands in six One Day International (ODI) matches so far, with the Asian representative winning on all the occasions. In the encounter today, the men in green have the upper hand all hold all the cards, but an upset is always likely.
The Dutchmen had in August 2022, during the Pakistan’s tour of the nation, come very close to causing an upset with Vikramjit Singh and Tom Cooper each scoring half-centuries to take the match into the last over, eventually falling short of just nine runs as Babar’s boys had their hearts in their mouths. Naseem Shah and Mohammad Wasim took five and four wickets respectively in the match.
Pitch Report:
The preliminary pitch reports are in with wicket at Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium expected to favour batters. Seam bowlers are also likely to benefit from the pitch. The venue uses red soil, black soil and a combination of both, similar to most other venues.
Black soil pitches are known to produce more bounce making it easier to score runs, while red soil pitches quickly dry out helping slower bowlers or spinners as the match wears on. A combination of both, thus helps both batters and bowlers.
Weather Report:
Hyderabad is expected to be hot and humid on October 6, with temperatures going as high as 33 degrees and humidity rising up to 66 per cent with no rain in sight, according to Weather.com.
Prediction:
Pakistan will want to start their campaign with a convincing win. They have Sri Lanka, India and Australia up next and will be looking to take advantage of an easier contest. Google’s win probability shows Pakistan with a 92 per cent probability of win and the Netherlands with the remaining eight per cent.
