When Pakistan takes on the Netherlands in a three-match ODI series starting on Tuesday, they will be looking to accumulate valuable World Cup qualifying points, but they will be keeping a close check on the fitness of ace spinner Shaheen Shah Afridi.
The 22-year-old paceman suffered a knee injury during the team’s recent trip of Sri Lanka, which is concerning given that the Asia Cup and a match against India are both scheduled for the end of the month.The Pakistani coaching staff does not want to overwork a fast bowler who has already played 97 games in all three forms since making his international debut four years ago.
Babar Azam, the captain of Pakistan, said, “We’re taking a couple of doctors with us to take care of Shaheen and want him to play a game against Netherlands to determine whether he’s fit and ready for the Asia Cup.”
I have faith in each and every one of our 11 trump cards, whether they are batters or bowlers, since they can all win matches on their particular days. Due to Covid in 2020, the series in Rotterdam was postponed.
The top seven teams, together with the hosts India, will qualify for the 2023 World Cup from the 13-nation Super League.
With 90 points, Pakistan is now in third place after defeating the powerful Australia 2-1 at home in their most recent ODI series.
If they didn’t place in the top seven, they would have to face a difficult qualifying competition.
Azam, who may be shocked to see Europe sweltering in a heatwave, said, “There are significant Super League points at stake that we can’t lose.”On Thursday, when the squad was leaving for Europe, he stated, “I assume the conditions will be similar to England. The temperature will be cooler, so we have rehearsed with the air conditioning on indoors, perhaps that helps imitate the conditions.”
Only three one-day international matches between the two teams have been played; they were all international competitions at the 1996 (Pakistan) and 2003 (South Africa) World Cups and the 2002 Champions Trophy (Sri Lanka). All three were won by Pakistan.The Netherlands are looking for a significant improvement in their 50-over results after qualifying for the Twenty20 World Cup, which will be played in Australia later this year. They are currently in bottom place in the Super League after only two victories in 16 games, one tie, and 13 losses.
In June, England defeated them by a score of 498-4, shattering the previous record.
However, according to his young team’s new captain Scott Edwards, playing against stronger nations has been beneficial.
ODI cricket remains a standard for Associates, according to Edwards, who took over as captain in June for Pieter Seelaar.
“Many of the upcoming young cricket players have experience playing against England and New Zealand. I look forward to the following two or three years ” We play Pakistan, which will give us another chance to practise against top-tier spinners and hitters in preparation for the Twenty20 World Cup in Australia. “The players have had a fantastic summer thanks to the chance to play these bigger countries. There is some regret that we haven’t recorded any victories.”
Hasan Ali, a fast bowler for Pakistan who was out of form, has been replaced by Naseem Shah, a rookie pacer. The other quick bowlers on the team are Shahnawaz Dahani, Haris Rauf, and Mohammad Wasim Junior. Wesley Barresi, a 38-year-old all-rounder, has been recalled by the Netherlands after a three-year hiatus. The teams play each other again on Thursday and Sunday following the inaugural match on Tuesday.
