Netherlands pushed Pakistan hard in the opening game of the competition in Colombo and almost won the game. They had their moments, but Pakistan in the end played the big moments better and held their nerve to win the contest by 3 wickets with 3 balls to spare. Netherlands had a lot of moments to cherish and they should be proud of their performances that they put out. But there were a few areas where they let the game slip and we will list you those for you.
Losing 6/24 in the last 5 overs of the innings dented Netherlands.Â
Netherlands were put into bat first by Pakistan and the batting was decent throughout as it was a battle of tussle between the two teams. The openers got a decent start in the first three overs before both were sent packing as Michael Levitt and Max O’Dowd went early. The Dutch were 51/2 in 6 overs. They lost another wicket in Colin Ackermann and brought up their 100 in the 13th over. Yes, they lost an odd wicket here and there. But the Dutch were well-placed at 123/4 in 15 overs and the match in balance.
But in the last 5 overs while batting, Netherlands lost the plot. Scott Edwards the captain was the 5th wicket to fall and immediately as it happened, the floodgates opened up for them as Pakistan came roaring back. The rest of the batters fell like a pack of cards as they went from 123/4 to 147 all out in the final over losing their last 6 wickets for 24 runs in the death overs phase. Netherlands could have got to 170 from the position they were in, but 147 turned out to be not quite enough.
Against the big teams, one needs to play all phases well as even a bad 5-over phase can cost you and the Dutch learnt it the hard way. A score of 160 might have been defendable but the Dutch despite making a match out of this fell short in the end. To come back in the upcoming matches, Netherlands need to ace all the phases and do it well to come out on top at the end of the day.
Conceding 61 runs in powerplay while defending 147 proved pivotal for the Dutch.Â
While defending the below par score, Netherlands didn’t quite get things right in the powerplay and that made it a tad easier for Pakistan. Pakistan openers Saim Ayub came out all guns blazing while Sahibzada Farhan took his time before accelerating after Ayub had got out. Salman Ali Agha played a cameo as well. Pakistan like the Netherlands lost 2 wickets in powerplay but were ahead of where Netherlands were.
Pakistan through the top 3 managed to post 61/2 in 6 overs compared to the Netherlands who were 50/2 in 6 overs. Pakistan were ahead by 11 runs after the first phase and in close games like these, these are useful runs to be ahead of the game. Lots of starts for the Netherlands batters but no one got a significant score on the board. But the powerplay didn’t cost the Dutch too much but they were behind the game and had to wrestle back the initiative which they did.
Netherlands will aim to fight back and iron out these flaws ahead of the next game. They have games against USA and Namibia to come and they will fancy their chances. But they will have to get this phase and all facets of the game right. This is where they will work on and see how they go in the coming games.
Dropped catch of Faheem Ashraf and 24 runs in the 19th over sealed the fate for the Netherlands.Â
Netherlands despite scoring a below par score should be credited for making a match out of this contest. They wrestled back the initiative post the powerplay and especially after 10 overs. Since Pakistan were 90/2 in 10 overs, it was supposed to be a cruise for the Men in Green. But the Dutch fought tooth and nail as Paul van Meekeren stood up with a double wicket maiden over. Roelof van der Merwe bowled well as well and Pakistan choked we can say to fumble under pressure.
Pakistan collapsed suddenly to the great bowling by the Netherlands as they were reduced to 114/7 at one stage. Then, Pakistan took the game deep but the Netherlands bowled tight lines and lengths to keep the score down as the equation boiled down to 29 runs off 12 balls. This is where the Dutch were favourites, but what followed was madness and a big moment arrived. Faheem Ashraf the last recognised batter for Pakistan faced Bas de Leede and hit the first ball for the maximum. Then the turning point came as Faheem miscued the ball towards long-on and Max O’Dowd dropped the catch.
This was huge as the batters got a couple and then Faheem added salt to the wounds by smashing sixes and fours of the bowler as 24 runs came off the 19th over and the equation boiled down to 5 off 6 balls which was achieved in 3 balls. Pressure and big match moments got the better of Netherlands and they need to seize the crucial moments and finish games off. Inexperience showed and catches dropped against good teams will come back to haunt you.
It remains to be seen whether the Netherlands can come back from the heartbreak and compete and beat the other opponents in the group.
What Lies Ahead.Â
Right, Pakistan will next face USA in their next match at SSC Colombo on Tuesday while Netherlands will face Namibia next while coming back to India. 3 more matches in the World Cup on Sunday with New Zealand taking on Afghanistan followed by England vs Nepal and then the co-hosts Sri Lanka takes on Ireland in Premadasa in Colombo.
Loads of action to come in the World Cup 2026 in the coming days.
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