Netherlands vs Afghanistan Match Preview– ICC World Cup 2023, Match 34

Netherlands and Afghanistan face off each other in a crucial encounter in match 34 of ICC World Cup 2023 in Lucknow on November 3, Friday. The match starts at 2 pm IST and is a must-win game for both teams.

Afghanistan will be the happier side with the match being played in Lucknow. The venue has aided spin bowling and the Afghans are ready to unleash their three spinners Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Mohammad Nabi. They can add a fourth one in Noor Ahmad if they want.

The venue and the conditions are well poised for an Afghanistan win which will be their fourth of this campaign. A win for the Asian team will keep them very much in the hunt for the final four of the World Cup with matches against Australia and South Africa to follow.

The Netherlands needs to take giant strides in this match in order to turn around their campaign. They have beaten South Africa and Bangladesh in the last game but in Afghanistan, they have a tough opposition waiting to pounce. They defended 230 against Bangladesh in Kolkata. However, in the turning track in Lucknow, their batters will be tested by the Afghanistan spinners and how they play them will be an interesting observation.

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Netherlands and Afghanistan have played nine ODIs with the Afghans winning seven and the Dutch just two. If the Orange Army beats the high-flying Afghans it will be a big win for them, one which will keep them alive in the contest.

Netherlands vs Afghanistan Match Preview– ICC World Cup 2023, Match 34

Afghanistan

Afghanistan have been the giant killer in this World Cup beating England, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. They had a very good chance to beat Bangladesh but they failed to do that. Before this World Cup, they had just one win across two World Cup editions and in this World Cup alone they have won three so far.

Their batting looks good with the middle-order scoring runs for them in their last two wins The openers still need to give them a good start. Their bowling rests on their experienced spin attack and in favorable conditions, they will look to extract the best out of the conditions.

Afghanistan Squad

Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdul Rahman, Naveen ul Haq

Netherlands

The Netherlands are heading into this game on the back of a win against Bangladesh in Kolkata in their previous game. Defending 230 they won the match by 87 runs. Their previous win against South Africa also came while defending a mediocre total. They have backed their bowlers to defend targets.

It is their batters that need to give them totals of at least over 260 to 270 to make a match out of it. They have a good mix of pace and spin attack. They will need to quickly adapt to the conditions in Lucknow and choose a playing XI that will be best suited for the conditions. One feels, their squad’s depth will be tested in this game with the conditions demanding something different. An extra spinner can be added in place of one of the quicks.

Netherlands Squad

Scott Edwards (C & WK), Vikramjit Singh, Max ODowd, Colin Ackermann, Bas de Leede, Teja Nidamanuru, Sybrand Engelbrecht, Logan van Beek, Roelof van der Merwe, Aryan Dutt, Paul van Meekeren, Saqib Zulfiqar, Ryan Klein, Shariz Ahmad, Wesley Barresi

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