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Ahead of Netherlands' forthcoming match against England in the ODI World Cup 2023 at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Wednesday, the Dutch assistant coach Ryan van Niekerk said that the Pune has a good wicket with a fast outfield.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Van Niekerk said that If a team can bowl well in Pune then they have good opportunities. "I've lived in Pune for two years and spend quite a bit of time at the stadium so it's nice to be back and see the stadium. It's been slightly renovated since I was last here. But, look, Pune has always been a good wicket. We've seen South Africa score 350 in this tournament already. We've seen Afghanistan chasing 240 here. So, I think boundary dimensions are fairly similar all the way around. Fast outfield. If you bowl well here, you have opportunities. If you bat really well, you can put teams under pressure," Van Niekerk said. Niekerk said that their motivation is to make sure that they as a team are always improving and getting better. "I think our motivation is to make sure that us as a team are always improving and getting better. We came into this tournament with a goal, maybe fallen slightly short of that goal of reaching the semifinals, but it doesn't mean that we prepare any differently and I think for us as a group, every game is important to us to play to win. I don't think we ever rock up thinking that we like to compete against the best teams in the world. We're here to win, and we're here to try and make sure that we can prepare as consistently as possible," Niekerk added. He further added that the key element of the tournament is that everyone had an opportunity to compete at the highest level of the game. "If you look at sports around the world, I think the magnitude of cricket, if I can speak on cricket's side of things, is huge. England's got a lot of South Africans. England's got their version of expat players if you want to call it that. So, I think the key element here is that everyone has an opportunity to compete at the highest level of the game," he concluded. The Netherlands are in ninth place on the ODI World Cup 2023 standings with four points after winning two out of their seven matches at the tournament. The Dutch side are coming into their upcoming match after losing against Afghanistan by seven wickets. (ANI)
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