Pakistan post 314-6 in first ODI against Netherlands

Published August 16, 2022
Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam at the first one-day international against Netherlands at the VOC cricket ground, Rotterdam, Netherland, Aug 16. — Pakistan Cricket Twitter
Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam at the first one-day international against Netherlands at the VOC cricket ground, Rotterdam, Netherland, Aug 16. — Pakistan Cricket Twitter

Pakistan got off to a slow start before posting a commanding 314-6 in the first one-day international (ODI) against the Netherlands in Rotterdam on Tuesday.

Left-hand opener Fakhar Zaman carved out a run-a-ball 109 — his seventh ODI century — while captain Babar Azam hit 74 before being caught after mistiming a delivery from Dutch paceman Logan van Beek.

Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat on a hot and muggy day at the VOC cricket ground outside the Dutch harbour city in the first of a three-match series.

The home bowlers initially contained Pakistan's batting, with the visitors losing their first wicket, that of dangerman Imamul Haq, lbw to paceman Vivian Kingma in the sixth over for a painstaking two off 19 balls.

But Zaman and Azam eventually let loose and put on a partnership of 168 off 170 balls before Azam was caught in a soft dismissal when he mistimed a shot into the waiting hands of Tom Cooper at mid-off.

Zaman was dismissed two overs later when he was brilliantly run out by Dutch captain and wicketkeeper Scott Edwards off a pin-point accurate throw by Bas de Leede at deep mid-wicket.

Pakistan looked set for a larger total but the Dutch bowlers did well to restrict them on a sluggish pitch, with the spin bowling of youngsters Aryan Dutt and Tim Pringle causing problems.

The Dutch let themselves down in the field though and dropped several catches, Kingma notably fumbling a high ball to hand Zaman a lifeline when he was on 43.

Opinion

Editorial

Digital growth
Updated 25 Apr, 2024

Digital growth

Democratising digital development will catalyse a rapid, if not immediate, improvement in human development indicators for the underserved segments of the Pakistani citizenry.
Nikah rights
25 Apr, 2024

Nikah rights

THE Supreme Court recently delivered a judgement championing the rights of women within a marriage. The ruling...
Campus crackdowns
25 Apr, 2024

Campus crackdowns

WHILE most Western governments have either been gladly facilitating Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza, or meekly...
Ties with Tehran
Updated 24 Apr, 2024

Ties with Tehran

Tomorrow, if ties between Washington and Beijing nosedive, and the US asks Pakistan to reconsider CPEC, will we comply?
Working together
24 Apr, 2024

Working together

PAKISTAN’S democracy seems adrift, and no one understands this better than our politicians. The system has gone...
Farmers’ anxiety
24 Apr, 2024

Farmers’ anxiety

WHEAT prices in Punjab have plummeted far below the minimum support price owing to a bumper harvest, reckless...