Pakistan Tour of Netherlands Archives

Pakistan tour of Netherlands postponed over PCB’s request

Pakistan cricket team’s tour to the Netherlands for a three-match T20I series has been postponed at the request of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) citing scheduling issues, reported by Cricbuzz.

According to the report, PCB approached the Royal Dutch Cricket Association (KNCB) and requested to reschedule the series, which was initially scheduled for May 2024. This decision aims to alleviate the strain on a congested cricket calendar.

Pakistan and Netherlands’ cricket boards are working on finding alternative options to reschedule the T20I series at a more suitable time.

Roland Lefebvre, the High-Performance Manager at KNCB has expressed his frustration over the postponement of the series, however, he also remained positive about finding a suitable time to play the series.

“We’re obviously disappointed but of course, we understand the situation, and remain optimistic a new window will be found to play the series either at home or away,” KNCB High-Performance Manager Roland Lefebvre said.

Pakistan’s three-match series against the Netherlands was scheduled for early May 2024, before Pakistan’s tour of Ireland and England.

But Pakistan is scheduled to play a five-match T20I series against New Zealand in April, making the schedule tighter with a little room left for the Netherlands tour.

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‘Opportunity for new players to show talent’ Babar on Shaheen’s absence

ROTTERDAM: Pakistan all-format captain Babar Azam urged the new players in the team to showcase their talent and deliver performances in the absence of the team’s main strike Shaheen Shah Afridi from Asia Cup 2022 and the upcoming T20I home series against England.

“We will definitely miss Shaheen for his outstanding performances and contributions to the team but it’s an opportunity for newcomers to show their skills and talent,” said Babar.

Shaheen Afridi has been ruled out of the Pakistan squad for the Asia Cup as he has been recovering from a knee ligament injury. Fast bowler Mohammad Hasnain will replace the left-arm pacer for the tournament.

While commenting on the team’s performance after they whitewashed the Netherlands in the recently concluded three-match ODI series, the skipper stated that as a captain his plan was to bat in difficult conditions and then the bowlers defend the target.

“The wicket was difficult early on and bowlers were getting help due to moisture and seaming conditions but our batters did well,” he said.

Babar lauded the young pacer Naseem Shah for his sensational bowling as he grabbed five wickets and played an instrumental role in the team’s victory in the last match.

“I’m giving the hundred per cent credit to the fast bowlers, spinners and fielders for the win, especially the way Naseem Shah bowled with the new ball and the way he finished in the death overs, it was outstanding,” he added.

Furthermore, the skipper hailed the Netherlands team and their cricket board and expressed gratitude to the fans for coming out in numbers from different countries and showing their support for the team.

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‘Shaheen’s absence will hurt the team in Asia Cup’ head coach Saqlain

ROTTERDAM: Pakistan team head coach Saqlain Mushtaq lauded the young fast bowler Naseem Shah for his phenomenal performance in the recently concluded ODI series against the Netherlands while he expressed his concern over the absence of the team’s main strike Shaheen Shah Afridi from Asia Cup 2022 after he was ruled out of the tournament due to an injury.

“Shaheen’s absence from Asia Cup will hurt the team,” he said in an interview with this reporter.

” Shaheen is currently the top performer in international cricket. He has proven himself all over the world,” he added.

When asked about the left-arm pacer’s possible replacement in the team for the upcoming tournament, Saqlain replied that it would be tough to find an alternate for a key player of your team.

While commenting on the national team’s average performance against a lower-ranked side, the head coach stated that the team needed at least ten days to adjust itself to the foreign conditions.

“Whenever a team visits a country, it takes at least ten days to get familiar with the new conditions,” he said.

Furthermore, Saqlain heaped praises on the 19-year-old Naseem, who made his ODI debut during the tour and remained inspirational with the ball as he bagged a five-wicket haul in the last match.

“Naseem Shah is a match winner and he has proved this. He has bowled with so much control during the series” he said.

It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan whitewashed the Netherlands in the three-match ODI series and gained 30 crucial points in ICC Cricket World Cup Super League following the victory.

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Pakistan win toss, elect to bat first in third ODI against Netherlands

ROTTERDAM: Pakistan won the toss and opted to bat first in the final encounter of the three-match ODI series against the Netherlands, here on Sunday.

Pakistan made four changes in the playing lineup as Opener Abdullah Shafique received his ODI cap in the match while Shahnawaz Dahani, Muhammad Haris and Zahid Mehmood were also included.

Wicketkeeper Muhammad Rizwan, Shadab Khan, Imam-ul-Haq and Haris Rauf were rested for today’s match.

Meanwhile, the Netherlands are going with two changes in the playing XI as Opener Musa Ahmed and bowler Shariz Ahmad replaced Wesley Barresi and Tim Pringle.

Pakistan have an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.

All the matches will be telecasted live on Pakistan’s first HD Sports channel – A Sports and will be simultaneously streamed on the digital platform of ARY Digital Network – ARY ZAP in crystal clear HD quality.

Playing XIs:

Pakistan: Babar Azam (captain), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Muhammad Haris (wicket-keeper), Agha Salman, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Wasim, Shahnawaz Dahani, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Zahid Mehmood

Netherlands: Scott Edwards (captain and wicketkeeper), Vikramjit Singh, Musa Ahmed, Logan van Beek, Tom Cooper, Aryan Dutt, Viv Kingma, Bas de Leede, Teja Nidamanuru, , Max O’Dowd, Shariz Ahmad

Abdullah Shafique set to make ODI debut for Pakistan against Netherlands

ROTTERDAM: Abdullah Shafique will receive his ODI cap for Pakistan as the opener is set to feature in his debut limited-overs match in the final encounter of the three-match ODI series against the Netherlands.

Abdullah became the 238th player to represent the Green Shirts in the One-Day Internationals.

The right-handed batter already made his Test Debut and has been a significant part of Pakistan’s red-ball team since his debut in November 2021.

It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan have an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series against the Netherlands.

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‘Bowling with new ball was a challenge for me’ says Haris

ROTTERDAM: Pakistan fast bowler Haris Rauf stated that bowling with a new ball was a challenge for him after he proved himself as a strike option for the team following his brilliant performance in the second ODI against the Netherlands.

Haris along with Naseem Shah, who is currently on his first ODI assignment, led the charge for Pakistan against the Netherlands in the absence of the team’s main strike bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi after he was rested due to an injury.

“Previously I used to bowl with a slightly old ball, but I bowled with a new ball in the series against Australia and here as well. It was a new challenge for me and I was trying to utilize it effectively,” said Haris in an interview given to this reporter.

Commenting on playing conditions, the right-arm pacer believed that the drastic contrast in the Netherlands’ conditions from that of Pakistan added to his learning experience.

“Conditions were very different here, the ground was soft, the ball was getting a grip in the wicket and the wicket was slow, you get to learn a lot from these things,” he added.

Naseem, on the other hand, stated that although he had been a regular member of Pakistan’s Test team yet the feelings were altogether different here as it was his debut ODI series.

“Although I have played Tests but the feelings during the debut are unmatched, Conditions were excellent here and it was an exciting ODI debut for me,” said Naseem.

Commenting on the playing conditions in the Netherlands, the young speedster stated that although the pitch was grassy, the ball was coming nicely onto the bat initially.

“The aura of playing at the international level was very different from league cricket,” he said. “Although the pitch looked grassy, the ball was slowing a bit before reaching the batsman. The ball was getting stuck and swinging simultaneously.” he maintained.

It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan claimed an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match ODI series against the Netherlands after their comprehensive seven-wicket victory yesterday in the second ODI.

Haris Rauf produced sensational bowling figures of 3/16 while Naseem claimed two wickets to propel the collapse of the Dutch team in the second ODI. Whereas, Mohammad Nawaz also bagged three wickets with Shadab Khan and Mohammad Wasim making a scalp each to restrict the hosts to 186.

READ: ‘Rizwan guided me a lot during our partnership’ says Salman Ali Agha

Netherlands win toss, elect to bat first in second ODI against Pakistan

ROTTERDAM: Netherlands won the toss and elected to bat first in the second ODI of the three-match series against Pakistan, here on Thursday.

Both teams made no changes in the playing XIs from the first ODI.

Pakistan have 1-0 lead in the series after they defeated the hosts by 16 runs in the first ODI.

The match will be telecasted live on Pakistan’s first HD Sports channel – A Sports and will be simultaneously streamed on the digital platform of ARY Digital Network – ARY ZAP in crystal clear HD quality.

Playing XIs:

Pakistan: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Agha Salman, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Wasim, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Nawaz,

Netherlands: Scott Edwards (captain and wicketkeeper), Vikramjit Singh, Wesley Barresi, Logan van Beek, Tom Cooper, Aryan Dutt, Viv Kingma, Bas de Leede, Teja Nidamanuru, Tim Pringle, Max O’Dowd.

Pakistan win toss, elect to bat first against Netherlands in opening ODI

ROTTERDAM: Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat first in the first encounter of the three-match ODI series against the Netherlands, here on Tuesday.

For Pakistan Naseem Shah and Salman Ali Agha will play their debut ODI match.

Playing XIs:

READ: Agha, Naseem set to make ODI debut today against Netherlands

Practice underway as Pakistan set to face Netherlands in series opener

ROTTERDAM: Pakistan’s ODI squad carried out robust practice sessions on Monday ahead of their first encounter of the three-match ODI series against the Netherlands tomorrow.

Taking to Twitter, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) shared photos of the national team’s training session in Rotterdam as the players engaged in vigorous fielding drills alongside net sessions for bowling and batting practice.

💯% effort in the field to stay on 🔝#NEDvPAK | #BackTheBoysInGreen pic.twitter.com/mYFNhwJvEz

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) August 15, 2022

The opening encounter between the two teams will start tomorrow at 2:00 PM (Pakistan Standard Time).

It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan will look to collect crucial World Cup qualifying points as they take on the Netherlands in three ODI matches at Rotterdam on August 16, 18 and 21.

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Pakistan team celebrates Independence Day in Netherlands

THE HAGUE: National cricket team celebrated the country’s 76th Independence Day on Sunday in a ceremony held here at the Pakistani Embassy as the Green Shirts are currently touring the Netherlands for three-match ODI series.

Speaking on the occasion, national men’s team skipper Babar Azam said that he felt proud to be a Pakistani and referred to his teammates as ambassadors of the country.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) shared pictures of the national team and other members of the Pakistani contingent attending the ceremony on its official Twitter account.

پاکستان کرکٹ ٹیم کی جانب سے تمام اہل وطن کو جشن آزادی مبارک#PakistanAt75 #IndependenceDay pic.twitter.com/Rqrp9k0xIi

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) August 14, 2022

“I feel proud of being a Pakistani. We all are ambassadors of Pakistan” said Babar while addressing the ceremony.

“We feel delighted when overseas Pakistanis raise Pakistani flags inside international grounds,” he added.

“It gives us joy when fans boost our confidence by showing their support. We always strive to make our country proud,” he said.

He further hoped that the team would give their best performance in the upcoming series against the Netherlands and claimed that the players were in sublime form.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Babar Azam-led national side will lock horns against the hosts in Rotterdam for three 50-over matches on August 16, 18 and 21.

READ: Netherlands announce 15-member ODI squad against Pakistan