The VOC Cricket Ground at Rotterdam will host the bilateral ODI series between Pakistan and Netherlands, the PCB Director confirmed on Wednesday. The series will start on 16th August and will culminate on 21st August.
Zakir Khan, the PCB Director – International, announced the tour and mentioned the importance of the bilateral series between the two nations.
“We are pleased that with the support of the Koninklijke Nederlandse Cricket Bond (KNCB), we have been able to reschedule the series, which is important to the growth and development of cricket in the Netherlands as well as to the two teams’ chances of progressing directly to the 2023 World Cup,” said Zakir.
“Our men’s national cricket team had an excellent 2021-22 season, and I am confident they will build on the momentum to entertain ex-pat Pakistanis and the Dutch spectators with good cricket. This series will also help KNCB attract new and young audiences towards the game,” Zakir added.
Both sides were up against each other in the 1996 and 2003 World Cup and the Champions Trophy 2002. In all these encounters, Pakistan secured victory.
This series was scheduled to be played in July 2020, but the COVID outbreak in the entire world caused it to be postponed.
Currently, the Netherlands have secured two wins out of ten appearances and are positioned 13th in the ODI World Cup Super League points table. In their last ODI series, the Netherlands lost to New Zealand 0-3.
On the other hand, Pakistan has won on six occasions in 12 appearances and is in the ninth position on the table. They were up against Australia on their home soil and secured the victory by 2-1, which was crucial for making a strong case for the 2023 World Cup.
This series will undoubtedly play a key role in determining the top seven teams and hosts India, to feature in the World Cup 2023. It can turn out to be a crucial series, particularly for the Pakistan team, who have not been able to secure a trophy since 1992.
Series schedule:
16th August – 1st ODI; VOC Cricket Ground, Rotterdam
18th August – 2nd ODI; VOC Cricket Ground, Rotterdam
21st August – 3rd ODI; VOC Cricket Ground, Rotterdam