Pakistan kicked-off the ODI World Cup 2023 campaign with an 81 run victory over Netherlands at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad on Friday. Batting first Pakistan managed to pile 286/10 in 49 overs despite a top-order collapse. Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan led the rescue act for Pakistan as both the batters chipped in with 68 runs each. Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan also made some healthy contributions towards the end with 30-plus scores.
In response Netherlands got off to a decent start with opener Vikramjit Singh and Bas de Leede leading the charge for the Dutch. Vikramjit scored 52(67) before getting out against Shadab, while Bas de Leede was cleaned up by Mohammad Nawaz for 67(68). Netherlands were eventually bundled out for 205 in 41 overs.
