5 Players to watch out for in PAK vs NED ODI Series
Pakistan will tour the Netherlands for three ODIs between August 16 and 21. Pakistan come into the series on the back of a 3-0 whitewash against West Indies in their previous ODI series in June. The hosts, on the other hand, were on the receiving end of a 3-0 whitewash against England in June.
All three matches will be played in Hazelaarweg, Rotterdam, and this will be the last bilateral series for the Dutch prior to the group stages of the 2022 T20 World Cup, which will commence on October 16. For the Men in Green, this will be the last bilateral series before the commencement of the 2022 Asia Cup, which is set to begin on August 27 in the UAE.
Here are the five players to watch out for in the ODI series – Pakistan vs Netherlands:
Logan van Beek
Logan van Beek, medium pacer, is a new ball bowler who can also contribute with the bat down the order. He was in the New Zealand squad for the 2010 Under-19 World Cup. However, he made his international debut for Netherlands in 2014 in a T20I and ODI debut in 2021. In 14 ODIs, he has picked up 19 wickets with an economy rate of 5.23 and a strike rate of 37. He has also scored 213 runs at an average of 19.36.
Scott Edwards
25-year-old wicketkeeper-batter Scott Edwards is one of the most exciting prospects in the Dutch team. He made his ODI debut in 2018 and has appeared in 22 ODIs ever since. He has scored 692 runs at an average of 38.44 with eight fifties. He was one of the top performers against England earlier in the year, and has already scored over 500 runs in the year with an average of 48.81.
Imam-ul-Haq
The Pakistani opener, Imam-ul-Haq, stands second in ICC ODI Batting Rankings and is currently one of the most prolific run-scorers. He has scored a staggering 497 runs in his last six ODIs with two hundreds and four fifties. The left-hander also averages close to 55 overall in the format in 52 matches, scoring 2,520 runs with nine hundreds and 14 fifties.
Shaheen Shah Afridi
Shaheen Shah Afridi is the leader of the bowling unit and one of the best bowlers across formats in the world. He is on a hot streak of form, picking up nine wickets in his last four ODIs with an average of 19.44 and a strike rate of 21.3. At the moment, he stands third on ICC ODI Bowling rankings and is the only Pakistani in the top ten.
Babar Azam
The Pakistan skipper and one of the best batters of this era, Babar Azam, is undoubtedly a player to watch in the series. The world number one batter has scored 4442 runs in 89 matches at an average of 59.22 and a strike rate of 90.24 with 17 hundreds and 19 fifties in the ODIs. He is the fulcrum of the team and his contribution is always crucial for Pakistan.
