ODI World Cup 2023, Match 34: Netherlands vs Afghanistan Match Preview

The ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 will continue to enthral the fans with breathtaking cricketing action as the Netherlands (NED) take on Afghanistan (AFG) in Match 34 on Friday, November 03 at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow. The Dutch are coming into the game having won their previous fixture against Bangladesh by 87 runs.  They’re ranked on the eighth spot on the points table with two wins from six matches having four points to their name.

On the other hand, Afghanistan are coming into the fixture with back-to-back victories against Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The Hashmatullah Shahidi-led side finds itself on the sixth spot on the points table with three wins from six matches having six points to their name.

Afghanistan began their campaign with back-to-back losses against Bangladesh and India. However, they scripted the biggest upset of the tournament by defeating defending champions England by 69 runs in their third fixture. Following that, they comfortably chased down 283 and 242 against Pakistan and Sri Lanka to keep themselves alive in the semi-finals race.

Also Check: ODI World Cup 2023 Most Runs

Meanwhile, the Netherlands got their campaign running by upsetting the mighty South Africa after a couple of defeats against Pakistan and New Zealand. They further beat Bangladesh in their last fixture and have a good chance of making it to the top four if they win all of their remaining fixtures. Hence, the upcoming fixture is extremely crucial for both teams to keep their hopes of a semi-final spot.

NED vs AFG Pitch Report

There have been a total of four matches played at the venue in the ongoing tournament where teams batting and bowling first have won two games each. The pitch has been a bit slow to score on traditionally as the average first innings score at the venue during the tournament has been 252 while the highest target chased is 263. The captain winning the toss is likely to bat first as three out of the last five games have been won by teams batting first in Lucknow.

NED vs AFG Probable Playing XIs for ODI World Cup 2023, Match 34

Netherlands (NED)

Netherlands would hope that their left-arm spinner Roelof van der Merwe recovers from his illness and is available for the next game. Apart from him, their team looks pretty settled and is likely to remain the same for the upcoming fixture.

Predicted XI: Vikramjit Singh, Max ODowd, Wesley Barresi, Colin Ackermann, Scott Edwards (c & wk), Bas de Leede, Sybrand Engelbrecht, Logan van Beek, Shariz Ahmad/Roelof van der Merwe, Aryan Dutt, Paul van Meekeren

Afghanistan (AFG)

Afghanistan might look to bring in their young spin sensation for the next game if the conditions are favourable. Otherwise, they’re likely to field the same unit which helped them win their last two matches.

Predicted XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Ikram Alikhil, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi

NED vs AFG Head-to-Head in ODIs:

NED vs AFG Broadcast Details:

Also Check: ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 Points Table