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Netherlands skipper Scott Edwards felt that they were in control of the chase against Pakistan in their World Cup opener but the game slipped from their hands.
Netherlands were exhibiting control over Pakistan pacers while chasing a target of 286. They were 120-2 at one point, Vikramjit Singh and Bas de Leede dominated Pakistan bowlers during this phase but Shadab Khan's arrival in the attack changed the complexion of the entire game. "It's a bit disappointing. Firstly, we bowled and fielded well. We thought they were par. We thought we had a good chance at 2 for 120. Probably a bit of instinct. So many of our bats, bowl and spin. De Leede is a quality cricketer in all three departments. His innings was awesome, just needed someone to be with him. This is a game that got away. We know they have quality bowlers but they took wickets which held us back," Edwards said in the post-match presentation. He also went on to talk about Logan van Beek who was influential in bringing the Netherlands to the World Cup but is seemingly suffering from an injury. "I think he was pretty keen to get out there. We'll assess that and see where he's at," Edwards added. Coming to the match, Pakistan had never tasted defeat while defending a total of 275 or more in the ODI format. This was their 14th consecutive victory while defending a target of 275 runs or more. Put to bat first, Pakistan posted 286 on the board and Haris Rauf-led pace attack registered an 81-run victory. Halfway through the chase in the second innings, Netherlands looked comfortable in the chase maintaining a run rate of just over 5 and still holding seven wickets in their hand. Vikramjit Singh and Bas de Leede dominated Pakistan bowlers during this phase but Shadab Khan's arrival in the attack changed the complexion of the entire game. He broke the 70-run partnership by dismissing Vikramjit for 52 and on the other end Haris Rauf sent Teja Nidamanuru and skipper Scott Edwards for scores of 5 and 0 respectively. Mohammad Nawaz sent Bas de Leede back to the dugout for 67 which allowed Pakistan to take control over the game. After Leede's wicket Pakistan's victory was just a matter of time as their collective bowling effort guided them to a comfortable 81-run victory by restricting Netherlands to 205. (ANI)
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