Afghanistan and Netherlands will play their 7th match on 3 November 2023 in Lucknow. Both teams have had some pretty exciting matches that have changed the way the cricketing world will see them from now on. Hence, this match is promised to be an entertaining one. And we can be your buddies along the way to enjoy this match. Are you reading? Well, start by reading the preview. In the end, we will have the highlights for you.
Read: ICC Cricket World Cup points table 2023
Match preview
Enjoy live streaming: ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 Live Streaming.
Afghanistan’s rise in the tournament
The world of cricket has witnessed the rise of a new star among all the teams. And that is the Afghanistan cricket team. They didn’t win any games for a long time. Although they qualified for the tournament this time, people were always skeptical about their performance during this World Cup.
Afghanistan started as everyone had predicted; they lost their opening match. However, Afghanistan was preparing for a surprise in this World Cup. That surprise started with them defeating the England cricket team.
Read: Afghanistan squad for ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023
But that wasn’t the end. They went on and defeated their rivals, Pakistan. It was a given since Pakistan struggled against this Afghanistan team for quite some time. But this was a one-sided show. As much as it was hurting Pakistan, the situation was joyous for Afghanistan.
Some said this was it for team Afghanistan. Now, they had won their World Cup. They had defeated Pakistan. It was England and Pakistan’s mistakes that led to their defeats, wasn’t it? There was nothing special about the Afghanistan team, right? But here you go, they proved themselves again by defeating Sri Lanka. But this time, seriously looking for the number 4 spot on the points table.
And if they want to keep their hopes alive, they have to win this one against the Dutch.
The Netherlands – a dark horse.
The Netherlands have had their fun in this World Cup as well. They defeated South Africa, one of the most menacing sides in this tournament so far. They were in the tournament with one goal: to show the world how strong the associate nations could- be and how the “full-member” tag didn’t mean anything.
Netherlands: Netherlands Squad for Cricket World Cup 2023
The Dutch side achieved that by winning against the Proteas. And later, they won their recent game against Bangladesh, considered a better side. And they did that in the Eden Gardens, a make-shift home ground for Bangladesh cricket team.
They are going to face Afghanistan this time. The heading for this section may give away what my predictions are. But who cares! It is what it is. You cannot stop the Dutch team; you cannot write them off. The Dutch are the dark horse in this game.
Pitch report
The pitch has seen one high-scoring match. And that too when South Africa was playing. Now, you can’t judge this surface based on that. South Africa is just crazy in this tournament. That team will hit 300+ runs, even if it is on the moon until you make them bat first.
Spinners will get some help here. And that will affect some selection decisions in this match. Overall, it is going to be a decent match for both batters and the bowlers.
Key performers
Rashid Khan is their superstar. You have to admit that this man has the charisma that allows his team to do a lot better. He sure carries some weight with him. Even if he hasn’t been able to perform so far, a good bowling show is long due. We can smell some wickets from him.
From the Dutch camp, Bas de Leede and Logan van Beek will be their key performers for this match. They are the best when it comes to the new ball so far, and it is wickets with the new ball that will decide whether they will win this match or not. Otherwise, Afghanistan’s top order will score tons against you.
Possible playing 11
There is one good thing that comes with having sensible team management. And that is why Afghanistan has started to play as per the situation. There is a particular game awareness in them now. If the pitch is spinner-friendly in this match, they will likely go for Noor Ahmad instead of any other bowler who didn’t perform.
The Dutch are likely to go for Roelof instead of Shariz. You need his left-arm spin in such conditions.
Predictions
Afghanistan has always had an upper hand against the Netherlands cricket team. They have won 4/5 ODI matches against the Dutch. This should tell you that it isn’t just their current form but the track record that tells you that Afghanistan will win this game for sure. Only if the Netherlands decide to counter Rashid Khan, pick up early wickets, and bat with patience. Only then, will they win this match.
Highlights
The Netherlands won the toss, and they chose to bat first. This is a good batting pitch. Will they be able to capitalize on this opportunity?
| AFGHANISTAN | NETHERLANDS |
|---|---|
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz | Wesley Barresi |
| Ibrahim Zadran | Max O’Dowd |
| Rahmat Shan | Colin Ackermann |
| Hashmatullah Shahidi | Sybrand Engelbrecht |
| Mohammad Nabi | Scott Edwards |
| Ikram Alikhil | Bas de Leede |
| Azmatullah Omarzai | Saqib Zulfiqar |
| Rashid Khan | Logan van Beek |
| Mujeeb ur Rahman | Roelof van der Merwe |
| Noor Ahmad | Paul van Meekeren |
| Fazal Haq Farooqi | Aryan Dutt |
First Innings – Netherlands
| NETHERLANDS 179-10 (46.3 overs) | |
| BATTING | BOWLING |
| Sybrand Engelbrecht 58 (86) | Mohammad Nabi 3-28 |
| Max O’Dowd 42 (40) | Noor Ahmad 3-21 |
| Roelof van der Merwe 11 (33) | Mujeeb Ur Rahman 1-40 |
| TARGET | 180 runs in 50 overs |
- Afghanistan’s overall great performance stifled the Netherlands, resulting in a below-par score. Mujeeb pinned Barresi in front in the first over.
- However, ODowd and Ackermann played positively and kept the scoreboard ticking with a 50-run stand, bringing the Netherlands back on track.
- When things were going well for them, a stunning change occurred: the Dutch dropped 5/40, and the runs dried up.
- During this span, three dismissals were run-outs, while the other two were caught behind, putting the Netherlands in a perilous position.
- The Asians had the opportunity to end the game then and then, but Engelbrecht was dropped twice on consecutive passes.
- The tailenders couldn’t accomplish anything, and the Netherlands were eliminated for 179.
- Afghanistan’s four spinners were outstanding, particularly Nabi and Noor, who each claimed five wickets.
Second Innings – Afghanistan
| AFGHANISTAN 181-3 (31.3 overs) | |
| BATTING | BOWLING |
| Hashmatullah Shahidi 56 (64) | Logan van Beek 1-30 |
| Rahmat Shah 52 (54) | Roelof van der Merwe 1-27 |
| Azmatullah Omarzai 31 (28) | Saqib Zulfiqar 1-25 |
| RESULT | Afghanistan won by 7 wickets |
- Afghanistan has now won three clinical run-chases in a row and has established itself as a force to be reckoned with!
- On a solid batting surface, 179 would always be a pathetic score, and the Netherlands had their backs to the wall at the midway point.
- Things might have been worse for the Dutch if it hadn’t been for Engelbrecht’s fifty. Van Beek strangled Gurbaz’s leg cheaply, and Zadran couldn’t make an impression since van der Merwe knocked him over.
- There was, however, no scoreboard pressure on Afghanistan. Rahmat Shah appeared natural from the start and found the ideal foil in Shahidi.
- They both knocked the Netherlands out of the game by scoring runs rapidly. The bowlers gave it their all, but there weren’t enough runs.
- The Netherlands’ decision to bat after winning the toss may have backfired.
- Rahmat Shah hit his third fifty in a row but couldn’t lead his team to victory. But Shahidi stood firm, struck an undefeated fifty, and guided Afghanistan to a comfortable victory with Omarzai.
Player of the match
Mohammad Nabi, the old gun, has won the POTM. That was some bowling from Nabi. We told you before this pitch had a lot of life for the spin bowlers. He constricted the runs and took important wickets. Great job!