ICC Cricket World Cup Photos: Pakistan vs Netherlands

Pakistan loses early wickets against Netherlands in their World Cup opener, but Mohammad Rizwan and Saud Shakeel lead a fightback.

The ICC World Cup match between Pakistan and The Netherlands in Hyderabad on Friday was a thrilling encounter that saw some impressive performances from both teams. The Netherlands, led by all-rounder Bas de Leede, put up a strong fight and limited Pakistan to a total of 286 all out.

Pakistan faced two mini collapses during their innings, one at the beginning and another after a solid partnership between Mohammad Rizwan and Saud Shakeel. Rizwan and Shakeel's partnership of 120 runs off 114 balls for the fourth wicket provided some stability to the Pakistani innings.

De Leede played a crucial role for the Netherlands, taking four wickets with his medium-pace bowling. He got the important breakthroughs in the middle-overs, while off-spinners Aryan Dutt and Colin Ackermann also made valuable contributions with the ball.

Netherlands, playing their first World Cup game in 12 years, showed their depth in bowling options by using as many as eight different bowlers. Dutt opened the bowling alongside Logan van Beek, who troubled the Pakistani batsmen with his outswing.

Pakistan got off to a shaky start, losing three early wickets including Fakhar Zaman, skipper Babar Azam, and Imam Ul Haq. Van Beek and Ackermann were instrumental in taking these wickets and putting pressure on the Pakistani team.

Rizwan and Shakeel then steadied the ship with their impressive batting. Shakeel, in particular, played some attacking shots against the spinners. However, de Leede broke their partnership by dismissing Rizwan with a well-executed delivery.

Despite a late partnership between Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan, Pakistan fell short of their target. They were on track to reach 300, but de Leede's quick wickets of Shadab and Hasan Ali slowed down the scoring rate.

Overall, it was a closely contested match with both teams showing their skills and fighting spirit. The Netherlands proved to be a tough opponent for Pakistan, and their performance in this World Cup opener will surely boost their confidence for the rest of the tournament.