World Cup 2023 Match 2, PAK vs NED | Who Will Win?

image-lnd5qv48Babar Azam during the World Cup 2023 warm-up against NZ (x.com)

Pakistan will go up against Netherlands in match number two of the ongoing 2023 World Cup on October 6. The much-awaited contest, also marking the opening fixtures for both sides this tournament, will be hosted by the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.

Pakistan favourites to claim two points vs Netherlands

Pakistan will start out as clear favourites to claim the two points up for grabs in Hyderabad on October 6. Even though they recently lost both their World Cup 2023 warm-up fixtures against New Zealand and Australia, the Pakistani batting line-up roared with over 300-plus totals on both occasions, thus signalling their return to form just in time for the tournament.

Captain and senior batter Babar Azam plundered majestic half-centuries in both matches, while wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan slapped a scintillating 103* against the Black Caps.

Moreover, Pakistan will also head into their game against Netherlands having fully acclimatised with the conditions at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. The ‘Men in Green’ set their World Cup 2023 base upfront at the iconic Hyderabad venue last week, as they were slated to play both their warm-up fixtures and tournament opener here.

Pakistan’s bowling line-up, led by charismatic Shaheen Afridi, will also be considered as favourites to dismantle the Netherlands batting unit, even at a high-scoring Hyderabad surface.

Netherlands chances, however, cannot be completely disregarded, especially considering their new-found momentum in ODIs. Under Scott Edwards leadership, the Dutch made their way into the 2023 World Cup with an impressive run at the World Cup 2023 Qualifiers in June-July early this year.

They knocked over West Indies in a thriller, and set themselves a date with Sri Lanka for the final in Harare to become the 10th team to qualify for the cricketing carnival in India.

Apart from Edwards own form with the bat, players like Logan van Beek, Bas de Leede, Vikramjit Singh and Max O’Dowd will also start out as some of the other in-form Netherlands players to watch out for in the competition.