Pakistan’s cricket enthusiasts are buzzing with excitement as the highly-anticipated moment approaches. On Friday, Pakistan will kick off their ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 (CWC23) journey, facing the Netherlands at Hyderabad’s renowned Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium on October 6, 2023.
Over the past eight days, Pakistan’s team has been busy preparing in Hyderabad, marking a historic occasion as the first visit of Pakistan’s men’s cricket side to India in seven years.
They have made the most of rigorous training sessions and two valuable warm-up matches to acclimatize themselves to the city, where they’ll be playing their first two out of nine league matches.
The warm-up games against New Zealand and Australia were invaluable opportunities for Pakistan to fine-tune their team combinations and provide crucial match practice for the entire squad.
Pakistan enters the 50-over World Cup as a strong contender, following an impressive performance in the recently concluded World Cup cycle. They boast the best win-loss ratio of 2.400, securing 24 victories in 36 matches. This consistent success is due in part to their key players consistently delivering outstanding performances.
Leading the charge is the team’s captain, Babar Azam, who has evolved into a modern-day cricket legend. He holds the record for the most runs by a Pakistani player in a World Cup, a feat achieved in the 2019 edition.
Currently, Babar sits atop the ICC ODI rankings for batters and is one of only two players to score over 2,000 runs in the last four years. His remarkable 2,196 runs come at an average of 66.54 and a strike rate of 93.72, including an impressive nine centuries during this period, tying the record with Shai Hope, the only other batter to breach the 2,000-run mark.
On the bowling front, Shaheen Afridi has emerged as one of the most formidable bowlers in the game. Despite a seven-month hiatus due to a knee injury, he remains a key figure in Pakistan’s pace attack. With 46 wickets in the last four years at an average of 25.26 and an impressive economy rate of 5.42, Afridi’s impact is undeniable.
As the countdown to the big day continues, Pakistan and the Netherlands are set to clash in their seventh ODI encounter. These two teams have a history dating back to their first meeting in the 1996 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup. On all six occasions, Pakistan has emerged victorious. Last year, Pakistan embarked on a tour to the Netherlands, marking their first bilateral series, and secured a clean-sweep.
