Pakistan could not have asked for a better way to
start their World Cup tournament as they gear up to face the Netherlands in
Match 2 of the ICC World Cup at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in
Hyderabad.
Most of this Pakistan side will have their first real
exposure to Indian pitches, but the fact that they have played both their warm-up
games in Hyderabad, it gives them that sense of familiarity ahead of the
Netherlands game.
Both teams enter the tournament on the back of
contrasting runs of form. Pakistan have had a rather indifferent run after a
good run that saw them enter the Asia Cup as the Number 1 ranked ODI side. But
a thumping loss to India and a last-ball loss to Sri Lanka coupled with injuries
to key components have left them wounded.
Netherlands, on the other hand, have had a dream run
in the Qualifier tournament. They upset the apple cart by beating the West Indies
in a high-scoring game and then aced the chase vs Scotland to stamp their
progress in the tournament proper.
These two sides met in a 3-match bilateral series a
few months back. While Pakistan did end up winning the series 3-0, they were
pushed all the way in all the three games by a spirited Dutch side. The Dutch
will take hope from their performance in all these three games and will want to
put on a show for their legion of fans.
Pakistan, on the other hand will look to start the tournament
positively by taking advantage of the favorable fixtures.
Whie it should be a pretty competitive game, Pakistan
will definitely have enough quality and talent on the pitch to emerge victorious
against this Dutch side.