'Full available squad vs rank no 14' - Mohammad Hafeez posts cryptic tweet ahead of Netherlands vs Pakistan 2nd ODI

Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez made a cryptic statement about Pakistan’s squad for the away ODI series against the Netherlands on August 18, Thursday. The series got underway in Rotterdam on Tuesday, and Pakistan won the first ODI by 16 runs and the second ODI kicked off on Thursday.

Pakistan batted first and set a huge target of 315 in the first ODI, thanks to a splendid knock of 109 runs off 109 balls by Fakhar Zaman, complemented by skipper Babar Azam who scored 74 runs off 85 balls. All-rounder Shadab Khan did the finishing job with a quickfire knock of 48 runs off 28 balls. The pick of the Dutch bowlers was the fast bowler Bas de Leede, who picked up two wickets for 42 runs.

Full credit to the Netherlands to play competitive cricket: Mohammad Hafeez

The Netherlands, with a challenging chase ahead, had to start off strongly. But, the opener Max O’Dowd and number three batter Wesley Barresi were both dismissed early for 1 and 2 runs, respectively. The other opener, Vikramjit Singh, was among runs, scoring 65 runs off 98 balls, and his partnership with Tom Cooper of 97 runs for the fourth wicket brought the Netherlands back in the game.

Skipper Scott Edwards kept the Dutch hopes alive until the stroke of the innings with an unbeaten 71 runs off 60 balls. But, the hosts simply had too much to do in the end, consequently scoring only 298 runs for the loss of eight wickets in 50 overs. Pacer Naseem Shah starred with the ball for Men in Green, finishing with a spell of three wickets for 51 runs in 10 overs. Pakistan took the 1-0 lead, coming into the second game. However, Hafeez’s mysterious Tweet, pointing out Pakistan picking a fully available squad against a “number 14” side, has left the fans confused.

“Full available squad of @TheRealPCB vs @KNCBcricket rank no 14 in ODI, wrote Hafeez on Twitter. “Full credit to @KNCBcricket to play competitive & aggressive cricket in 1st ODI match to put pressure on team management to go with the full squad again in 2nd ODI. Interesting.”