Pakistan to rely on pace attack against Holland

ISLAMABAD: The Greenshirts will go into the opening one-day against minnows Holland on Tuesday (today) with a three-pronged pace attack with Naseem Shah all set to make his limited-overs debut.

A well-placed source told ‘The News’ that Naseem will be making his debut. The other pacers in the lineup for the opening match to be played in Rotterdam will be Haris Rauf and Mohammad Wasim Jr.

“Shaheen Afridi will be missing the first two matches and chances of his playing the third will also be considered later. It is a good opportunity for the youngsters like Naseem and Waseem to prove their worth. The series is important for the bench strength,” captain Babar Azam said during a media talk.

It is the first ever bilateral series against Netherlands. The three-match series is part of the ICC Men’s World Cup Super League where the visiting side occupies fifth spot with 90 points. Babar’s side will be aiming to win all the three matches to grab second position in the points table.

“It’s great to be here in the Netherlands for the first time. The weather is very good here and we are being looked after really well and enjoying the Dutch hospitality. “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 at the ground. In the absence of Shaheen Shah Afridi, this is an opportunity for the youngsters to come forward and showcase their skills.

“We are looking forward to a good contest between the bat and ball and I am hopeful the fans will turn up in numbers to witness the series.” A couple of milestones are on the cards for Pakistan’s premier players. No 1 ranked ODI player Babar Azam needs one more century to become the only Pakistan captain to score 10 tons in international cricket. Wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan requires 18 more runs to complete 1,000 ODI runs.

Imamul Haq, who trails his skipper Babar on the second spot in the ICC batters’ rankings, will be looking to continue his rich vein of form after amassing seven fifty-plus scores on the trot in the ODIs.

He was declared player of the series for scoring 65, 72 and 62 in Pakistan’s 3-0 win against the West Indies at home in ODI series in June 2022. The touring side had their first training session on Schiedam Cricket Ground but due to rain they were compelled to conduct the second training session indoor in Rotterdam.

Pakistan squad for Netherlands ODIs: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Imamul Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani and Zahid Mehmood.

Schedule: August 16: 1st ODI; VOC Cricket Ground, Rotterdam.

Aug 18: 2nd ODI; VOC Cricket Ground, Rotterdam.

Aug 21: 3rd ODI; VOC Cricket Ground, Rotterdam.