Pakistan launched their International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricket World Cup 2023 campaign this week with an expected but unremarkable victory over the Netherlands. But if Friday's performances are any indicator, the 'Men in Green' have a lot of work to do if they harbour any ambitions to raise the trophy in the final next month.
Pakistan made history on Friday when they beat the Netherlands in their opening match in the Cricket World Cup 2023 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. It was the first World Cup match Pakistan had won in India.
Match summary
Pakistan was put into bat first by the Oranje, who had confidence in their tall pacers to exact pace and bounce to trouble Pakistani batsmen on a flat track in warm Hyderabad. The move almost worked as Pakistan lost three early wickets to find themselves struggling at 38-3 in just the 11th over.
With groans audible from the sparse crowd in the stands, Saud Shakeel and wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan helped steady the Pakistani ship, adding 120 runs for a crucial fourth-wicket partnership. Shakeel, who has been in good form, scored a brisk 68 off 52 balls. The wizened Rizwan, recognising the importance of an anchoring innings, batted patiently and decisively before he was dismissed for 68 runs scored off 75 balls in the 45th over. But by then, he had done enough to ensure that Pakistan would end up with a fighting total.
Pakistan's lower order chipped in with some valuable runs, but they were bowled out for 286 in 49 overs. Bas de Leede was the standout performer for the minnows, ending his day with 4-62.
The Netherlands got off to a good start in their chase, steadily building up 120-2 by the 24th over. However, they lost four wickets for 38 runs in the middle overs, which stalled their progress. De Leede played a valiant knock of 67 runs, but he could not prevent the Netherlands from collapsing for 205 in 41 overs.
Haris Rauf was the pick of Pakistani bowlers with 3-42. Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Nawaz picked up two wickets each.
Analysing Pakistan's batting
In a word, Pakistan's batting against an opposition like the Netherlands was 'disappointing'. One had to strain to catch fleeting glimpses of a top-seeded side bat.
However, it was good to see the side show some character and recover from a difficult position to post a competitive total.
Shakeel and Rizwan played intelligently and rotated the strike well. They punished loose deliveries from the Dutch bowlers without overextending themselves or exposing themselves.
But once they were dismissed, the Pakistan batting line-up collapsed again.
Pakistani batsmen need to be more consistent in their performances. The team cannot afford to lose early wickets; this will be crucial in key matches.
They also need to exhibit greater patience and build partnerships.
Analysis of Pakistan's bowling
Pakistan's bowling performance against the Netherlands was good, at least compared to their shambolic batting.
The bowlers managed to restrict the Netherlands to a low score of 205.
The best news was seeing Haris Rauf bowl with a good pace and accuracy. It demonstrated how well he has recovered from injury.
Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Nawaz picked up important wickets as well as the pace attack set about demolishing the Netherlands' batting order. But perhaps a little aggression will not be out of place.
The standout feature of Pakistan's bowling was how disciplined and consistent it has been in the lines and lengths the bowlers have picked and adhered to. The bowlers were also smart enough to take advantage of the conditions in Hyderabad, especially the change of temperature and moisture in the air during the evening under lights.
Pakistan's World Cup hopes
Pakistan's victory over the Netherlands was commendable despite their unimpressive batting performance.
However, one cannot shake the feeling that the match was made to look much harder than it needed to be.
If Pakistan harbours any ambitions of lifting the trophy next month, they will need to drastically improve their batting skills for the upcoming matches. Babar Azam and company need to keep in mind that they are likely to face tougher opposition as the tournament goes on, and they will need to adapt and respond accordingly.
Pakistan will play South Africa next on October 10, 2023. They will need to put up a much stronger performance if they want to beat the Proteas side.