Pakistan began their World Cup campaign with a convincing 81-run victory over the Netherlands. Pakistan, the 1992 champions, posted a competitive total of 286 runs in 49 overs, with Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan contributing 68 runs each. They then bowled out the Netherlands for 205 runs in 41 overs.
Pakistan captain Babar Azam expressed his satisfaction with the result and praised his team’s bowlers for their performance. Bas de Leede of the Netherlands was a standout performer, taking 4-62 with the ball and scoring 67 runs with the bat.
The Netherlands had a solid start to their chase, reaching 120-2 at one stage, with De Leede and Vikramjit Singh (52 runs) leading the way. However, once De Leede was dismissed, the Netherlands lost wickets at regular intervals, and Pakistan’s bowlers, including Haris Rauf (3-43), sealed the victory.
Pakistan’s innings had a shaky start, with early wickets falling, but Shakeel and Rizwan’s partnership steadied the ship. Despite losing wickets in the middle order, Pakistan managed to post a competitive total, thanks in part to contributions from Mohammad Nawaz (39 runs) and Shadab Khan (32 runs).
The win gave Pakistan a positive start to their World Cup campaign, and they will look to build on this momentum in the tournament.
