‘Bahut Kadi Takkar di..’ – Fans react after Netherlands give Pakistan mighty scare in 2023 ODI World Cup

The Netherlands team nearly did the unthinkable as they gave the Pakistan team a mighty scare. The Dutch team may have lost the game by 81 runs but they gained massive respect from the Indian fans.

Pakistan and Netherlands played their first game of the 2023 ODI World Cup on Friday. The venue of the game was Hyderabad as the two captains looked to start strong. The Pakistan team had played and lost both their previous two games at the venue. New Zealand and Australia each scored over 340 runs during the two warm-up games versus Pakistan.

Babar Azam lost the toss and was asked to bat first by Scott Edwards on a sizzling day in Hyderabad. During the entire game, the Netherlands team more than held their own. Bas De Leede was the star with the bat and ball for the Dutch team on his ODI World Cup debut.

Bas De Leede’s all-round efforts go in vain 

Scott Edwards began with spin as the Dutch bowlers put the stranglehold on the Pakistani batters. The result was three early wickets including that of Babar Azam for just five runs. Openers Fakhar Zaman and Imam Ul Haq continued their poor show with the bat. Imam Ul Haq scored 15 while Fakhar Zaman was out for 12.

Saud Shakeel blazed his way to a 52-ball 68 with the help of 9 fours and a six. Mohammad Rizwan at the other end also scored 68 runs which came off 75 balls with the help of 8 fours. Shadab Khan (32) and Mohammad Nawaz (39) helped Pakistan reach 286 before being bowled out.

Bas De Leede who picked 4/62 with the ball continued his purple patch with the bat. The youngster top scored with 67 which came off just 68 balls with 2 sixes and 9 fours. Opener Vikramjit Singh also notched up a fighting score of 52 while Logan Van Beek scored 28 down the order.

Pakistani bowlers showed their experience and class as they held their nerve to secure the win. The Netherlands lost the game by 81 runs but not before giving the Pakistanis a mighty scare in the first game of their 2023 ODI World Cup campaign.

Here’s how the fans reacted –