Star Netherlands all-rounder Bas de Leede revealed that the team is aware of the threat posed by the Pakistan fast bowling duo Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf heading into their first game of the World Cup 2023 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on October 6th.
The Dutch squad struggled against the Australian pacer Mitchell Starc during the ICC warm-up game, where the left-arm pacer secured a hat-trick with some piercing in-swinging shots and the Netherlands would be seeking to address its shortcomings in the first game against heavyweights Pakistan.
Speaking at the press conference ahead of the game against Pakistan, Bas de Leede said that their team’s batting against Mitchell Starc was a bit of a wake-up call for the team ahead of the main event.
Besides, ruined the lack of opportunity to face the quality left-arm swing bowlers and revealed that Shaheen Afridi is the central point of focus in their preparation for the opening game against Pakistan.
“Yeah, you know, obviously Shaheen and Haris Rauf are two quality pacers. Something we don’t face too often is the left-arm swing. It was a little bit of a wake-up call for us against Mitchell Starc the other day, but I think we still need to be confident in our abilities”.
“Shaheen has been a focus point for us in our preparation and also our analysis. So, hopefully, we’re going to play him better than we did against Starc the other day,” Bas de Leede said.
With his outstanding exploits for Pakistan on the international stage, Shaheen Shah Afridi has established a reputation for himself in mega-events. When it comes to recent performance, Afridi much outperforms the other left-arm pacers in International cricket and would look to make an impact for the team in the ODI World Cup.
It’ll Be Nice To Sort Of Be Familiar With The Team – Bas de Leede
Bas De Leede added that the Netherlands would attempt to draw some strategies and tactics from their most recent experience with Pakistan. At the Hazelaarweg in Rotterdam, the two teams squared off in a bilateral ODI series the previous year, where Pakistan won the series 3-0 on the away soil.
“Yeah, I think the experience of the whole Super League, having played against bigger nations, was fantastic for us. And obviously, Pakistan, having played them last year in Rotterdam in three ODIs, it’ll be nice to sort of be familiar with the team and the players and stuff, having played them before”.
“So, I think that will help us a little bit. But obviously, you know, they’ve evolved. They’ve gotten better. They’ve got different skills now as well, even with Shaheen coming back, who didn’t play that series. So, it’s nice to have played them before. But yeah, obviously, we still make our plans accordingly,” Bas de Leede added.
It would be a big upset if the Netherlands manages to come over the top against Pakistan in their World Cup opener, as the Men in Green have high-quality players in their team.
The Dutch side would look to put up a fighting performance in the marquee event to make a name for themselves in International cricket.
