Dutch treat

Pakistan has clean swept against the Netherlands in the three-match ODI series

Pakistan’s clean sweep against the Netherlands in the three-match ODI series has further boosted the Greenshirts’ confidence and morale ahead of the Asia Cup contest in UAE later this month. While there were some rusty moments in all three matches, solid performances led to a convincing series victory.

In the first ODI, Fakhar Zaman’s brisk ton and skipper Babar Azam’s solid 74 helped Pakistan put up a decent 314 on the board which the Dutch failed to chase after Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf bagged 3 wickets each. In the second ODI, three half-centuries followed by 3 wickets each for Rauf and Mohammad Nawaz led to an effortless 7-wicket win. The 3^rd ODI was a nail-biter even after Babar’s brilliant 91, but an impressive 5-wicket hall by Naseem Shah secured the clean sweep in the end. Babar has yet again led from the front and broken another historic record, surpassing Hashim Amla and Sir Viv Richards to become the highest run-getter in 90 ODI innings. His name will indeed go down in history as one of the greatest batsmen that the game of cricket has ever witnessed. But the pacers really outshined the rest. A young prospect that Pakistan must invest in is Naseem Shah, who has now become the first-ever Pakistani bowler to take 10 wickets in the first 3 career ODIs.

With Shaheen Shah at risk of injury due to excessive workload, these bowlers can from time to time take up the mantle and perform at the highest level. There are some tremendous prospects currently brewing in the team the likes of which we had seen during our glory days with Imran Khan at the helm. PCB officials must be clever enough to manage and train these players as the coming few months are packed with some intense cricket.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 24^th, 2022.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.