Follow UsThe Kiwis thundered to victory against the defending champions in their first game. The Netherlands fought hard but fell short against a top-class Pakistani bowling attack.
You might think that these two teams, separated by the gulf of early success and failure, are so different from one another. However, the reality paints a different picture, as many within the Dutch setup are no alien to New Zealand or their cricketers. It’s a contest between friends who’ll be playing for different nations in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.
Logan Van Beek has shared the dressing room with Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway when he played for the Wellington Firebirds. Max O’Dowd, with a Kiwi father and a Dutch mother, still lives in New Zealand for most part of the year, playing club cricket. He is also familiar with most of the New Zealand cricket royalty, having faced them at some point or the other.
Moreover, the Dutch have also played against New Zealand in the ODI Super League. So, unfamiliarity won’t be an excuse for both the teams going into the contest tomorrow at Hyderabad.
Ground Details and Conditions
The Rajeev Gandhi International Cricket Stadium has been a great place to bat, with the average first innings total being a massive 295. In their first game against the Netherlands at Hyderabad, Pakistan scored 286, even after an early collapse of their top three. However, it was evident that this was a good pitch to bat on when Mohammad Rizwan and Saud Shakeel batted and scored 68 each.
Even during the Netherlands innings, the likes of Bas de Leede were able to play down the ground with ease despite the pitch slowing up as the match went on.
Considering that it’s a win-the-toss and bat-first kind of wicket, the team batting second needs to ensure they don’t leak more than 280-290 runs as the conditions become tougher to bat on in the second innings. Good length bowling, something which Bas de Leede brilliantly displayed against Pakistan, is the key on this surface.
How are the teams shaping up?
As Gary Stead confirmed to the press, New Zealand will still be without Kane Williamson once again. However, Lockie Ferguson and Tim Southee are bound to return in the second game, allowing them to bolster their bowling attack after going with only three specialist bowlers against England in the World Cup opener.
The Netherlands were found wanting against the pace of Haris Rauf in the same ground a few days ago, with the Pakistani picking up three wickets. Hence, unleashing Lockie Ferguson against the Dutch can be a great ploy for the Kiwis.
Rachin Ravindra impressed everyone with his fearlessness and swagger and would play at number three again, with Williamson sitting out of this one. The others from their first XI should also make the team sheet, except Mark Chapman, as New Zealand would likely play either Tim Southee or Lockie Ferguson in his place.
Meanwhile, the Dutch would like to take a lot of confidence from how Bas de Leede played in the first game, picking up four wickets in the middle overs and derailing Pakistan’s innings. Then, with the bat, he scored an uplifting half-century, keeping Netherlands in the game until he was at the crease.
Scott Edwards would also want other batters in his team to rise up to this challenge, especially Max O’Dowd and Vikramjit Singh at the top. As his teammates call him, Vicky scored 52 in 67 balls, showing a good range of shots. However, the Pakistanis also exploited his weakness against tight body line bowling as they built dot ball pressure and got him out trying to get out of that rut.
The Kiwis have bowlers like Matt Henry, who specialize in that kind of bowling. So, the Netherlands openers are going to be crucial to their fortunes.
Logan Van Beek, another important member of the Netherlands side, might have to miss out with a hamstring injury. It would be hard for the Dutch to fill his place as, apart from his bowling, he provides valuable lower-order power-hitting options, as seen during the World Cup Qualifiers. Ryan Klein, right-arm fast medium, can replace him in the XI tomorrow.
Tactical Insights
> Bas de Leede, the key batter for the Dutch, has a weakness against finger spinners. He averages only 22.3 against left-arm orthodox and an even lower 20.3 against off-spinners. New Zealand can unleash Mitch Santner and Glenn Phillips against him, who had a good game against England.
> Matt Henry is an underrated, under-appreciated new ball behemoth. Henry has the best average, strike rate, and second-best economy rate since his ODI debut of all the five bowlers who have taken 50+ wickets in the powerplay. And in case you are wondering, the others in that list of five are Mitch Starc, Trent Boult, Chris Woakes and Kagiso Rabada.
He will be extremely crucial for New Zealand in the first 10 overs throughout this World Cup, and the Dutch openers are against a massive challenge in the form of Henry and Boult.
Probable XIs
Netherlands - Vikramjit Singh, Max O’Dowd, Colin Ackerman, Bas de Leede, Teja Nidamanuru, Scott Edwards (c & wk), Saqib Zulfiqar, Roelof van der Merwe, Aryan Dutt, Ryan Klein, Paul van Meekern
New Zealand - Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (c & wk), Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult, Matt Henry