The Netherlands will take on Pakistan in the last match of the three-match ODI series on Sunday at the Hazelaarweg in Rotterdam.
Given that there is a considerable gap between the two teams, both in terms of quality of players and international experience, Pakistan was always likely to whitewash the hosts.
So far, the assumptions have turned out to be true, as the men in green have won the first two matches and have already clinched the series. Besides eyeing a clean sweep, Babar Azam could also give a few youngsters a chance in this match.
Current Form
Though the records will say Pakistan is leading the series 2-0, the Netherlands team deserves credit for their epic fight in the first ODI. Their bowlers could not do well, as Pakistan scored 314 runs whilst bowling first.
However, their batters produced a fantastic display to keep the side in the game till the very end. At one stage, it seemed that they might even chase the total down, but Scott Edwards’ men ultimately were 16 runs short.
The second ODI, however, was on expected lines, with Pakistan securing a win without any opposition whatsoever from the hosts. Batting first, the Netherlands batters failed to replicate what they did only a couple of days ago and were bowled out for 186 runs.
That total was never likely to trouble Pakistan, but things got interesting when both openers Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq were dismissed inside the fourth over. However, half-centuries from Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Agha Salman got Pakistan over the line.
Head-to-Head Record
Pakistan and Netherlands have crossed paths five times in ODI cricket previously, and as many would expect, the men in green emerged victorious on all of those occasions.
Besides the two matches in this series, Pakistan has beaten the Oranje in the 1996 World Cup, the 2002 Champions Trophy and also the 2003 World Cup.
Key Players
Skipper Babar Azam is leading his team from the front
Tom Cooper: Tom Cooper is currently 35 years of age, and in this series, he has shown once again why finding a replacement to fill his shoes after his eventual replacement will be an extremely difficult task for the Netherlands team management.
With 131 runs in two matches, which has come at an average of 65.50 and a strike rate of 102.34, Cooper is currently the leading run-scorer for his team. He smashed 65 runs in the first match, while the second match saw him scoring 66 runs.
Babar Azam: There is absolutely no stopping Azam at the moment, as he is constantly proving why he is currently the number one batter in men’s ODI cricket. The 27-year-old is his team’s highest run-getter, having amassed 131 runs at an average of 65.50 and a strike rate of 87.33.
In the first match, the lad from Lahore played an elegant knock of 74 runs. However, his knock of 57 runs in the last game was perhaps more important, as the skipper stabilized Pakistan’s innings after the openers’ premature departure.
Predicted Playing XIs
Netherlands: Vikramjit Singh, Max ODowd, Wesley Barresi, Bas de Leede, Tom Cooper, Scott Edwards (c & wk), Teja Nidamanuru, Logan van Beek, Tim Pringle, Aryan Dutt, Vivian Kingma.
Pakistan: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Agha Salman, Khushdil Shah, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah.
Prediction
Pakistan might opt to make a few changes to their squad since there is room for experimentation now with the series being done and dusted. That could give the Netherlands an outside chance of causing an upset, but the gap between the two teams is still significantly big, which is why we have predicted Pakistan to make it 3-0 by winning this match.