Babar Azam: It’s great to be here in the Netherlands for the first time

Babar Azam-drove Pakistan ODI squad is good to go to feature in the first ever-bilateral series against the Netherlands starting from Tuesday, 16 August in Rotterdam while the second and the third ODI will be played on August 18 and 21.

Babar Azam-drove Pakistan ODI squad is good to go to feature in the first ever-bilateral series against the Netherlands starting from Tuesday, 16 August in Rotterdam. The second and the third ODI will be played on August 18 and 21.

The three-match series is part of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League where the visiting side occupies the fifth spot with 90 points. Babar’s side will plan to win all three matches to get the second position in the points table.

Several achievements are on the cards for Pakistan’s premier players. Number one ranked ODI player Babar Azam needs one more century to become the only Pakistan captain to score 10 tons in international cricket. Wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan requires 18 more runs to finish 1,000 ODI runs.

Imam-ul-Haq, who trails his captain Babar on the second spot in the ICC players’ rankings, will be hoping to proceed with his rich vein of form in the wake of storing up seven fifty-plus scores on the run in ODIs. 

He was pronounced player of the series for scores of 65, 72, and 62 in Pakistan’s 3-0 win against the West Indies at home in three-match ODI series in June 2022.

Shaheen Afridi will be unavailable to the side for the first two games due to a knee injury.

The touring side had their first training session in Schiedam cricket ground, but due to rain, they were compelled to conduct the second training session in indoor facilities in Rotterdam.

“It’s great to be here in the Netherlands for the first time. The weather and the hospitality are very good here and we are being looked after really well,”

said Babar Azam.

“I do follow Netherlands cricket and I am impressed with their passion for the game. I am very hopeful that the series starting tomorrow will go a long way to promote the game in this region.

“We will not become complacent here and the players are ready to express themselves on the ground. In the absence of Shaheen Shah Afridi, this is an opportunity for youngsters to come forward and showcase their skills.

“We are looking forward to a good contest between bat and ball and I am hopeful the fans will turn up in numbers to witness the series.”

Pakistan squad for Netherlands ODIs – Babar Azam (captain) (Central Punjab), Shadab Khan (vice-captain) (Northern), Abdullah Shafique (Balochistan), Fakhar Zaman (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Haris Rauf (Northern), Imam-ul-Haq (Balochistan), Khushdil Shah (Southern Punjab), Mohammad Haris (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mohammad Nawaz (Northern), Mohammad Rizwan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mohammad Wasim Jnr (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Naseem Shah (Southern Punjab), Salman Ali Agha (Southern Punjab), Shaheen Shah Afridi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Shahnawaz Dahani (Sindh) and Zahid Mehmood (Sindh)

Player Support Personnel: Mansoor Rana (manager), Saqlain Mushtaq (head coach), Shahid Aslam (assistant to head coach), Mohammad Yousuf (batting coach), Shaun Tait (bowling coach), Drikus Simmon (trainer/strength & conditioning coach), Cliffe Deacon (physiotherapist), Abdul Majeed (fielding coach), Ibrahim Badees (media and digital manager), Lt Col (retd) Asif Mahmood (team security manager), Talha Ejaz (team analyst), Malang Ali (team masseur) and Dr. Najeebullah Soomro (team doctor). Lt Col Asif Mahmood (team security manager)

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