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Bas de Leede. (Photo Source: Twitter)
Pakistan got off to a winning start in the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023 as they defeated a gritty Netherlands side by 81 runs on Friday, October 6, in Hyderabad.
Bas de Leede had a fine game for the Dutch side, excelling with both bat and ball. In the first innings, he picked up four wickets before playing an exquisite knock of 67 off 68 balls in the run chase. After the match, De Leede stated that facing a strong bowling unit like Pakistan, early in the tournament, would hold his team in good stead for the matches to come. The 23-year-old also drew comparisons between the Pakistani pacers and the ones of New Zealand, who are their next opponents.
“I think every team in this competition has a quality bowling attack, so I’m sure it probably is a mixture of coming up with a game plan and preparing for that. Obviously, you’ve got Henry at the start who’s been excellent, and then Trent Boult, similar to Shaheen probably. Lockie Ferguson is probably similar to Haris Rauf. So, a lot of similarities, but I think we’ll take our learnings from this game and then try and adapt for next game,” De Leede was quoted as saying by India Today.
The Netherlands impressed fans and critics alike at various stages of the game against Pakistan. Scott Edwards and Co. put the ‘Men in Green’ under pressure on a few occasions during the first innings of the second game of the ODI World Cup 2023. However, the Asian giants managed to post a challenging 286 runs on the board. In reply, Netherlands were well placed at 120/2 in the 24th over but they lost wickets at regular intervals from this stage onwards and were eventually bowled out for 205.
‘I tried to pick line and length up a bit quicker than I’m probably used to’ – Bas de Leede on technical adjustments before India trip
The talented youngster said that he had conversations with people with experience of Indian conditions and learned about the technical tweaks needed to succeed in the country.
“Well, before I went to India, I spoke to a couple of people that have experience here and asked them what they think overseas batters needed to do to succeed against spin in India. So, I think from then on, I tried to pick line and length up a bit quicker than I’m probably used to. And just stuff like that. And it’s probably also thinking about a game plan before the game, talking to the coaches, that helps a lot,” De Leede said.
