Pakistan Vs Netherland Preview

Pakistan LWLWW

Netherlands WN/RWLW

Watch out for
Saeed Ajmal and Umar Gul have looked the only players up for a battle so far and on their eight overs, will rest most of Pakistan's Super Eights aspirations. Netherlands will not have much experience of Ajmal's doosra and Gul's arrow-straight, pacy yorkers are a handful for most.

Pakistan have a long history of bouncer-induced trauma adding Sunday's defeat to England to the list. If there is bounce still Lord's, you can be sure Dirk Nannes will be utilising it. He has the pace and natural angle to trouble them, but that he makes such a good story - Japanese-speaking, saxophone playing wanderer who took to the game late - means that he is a headline (not a good one for Pakistan) in waiting.

Team news
Pakistan will make changes, most likely dropping Salman Butt and possibly pushing Kamran Akmal in his place. Sohail Tanvir may also get in, his unusual angles and action, worth confusing the Netherlands with.

Pakistan: (probable) 1 Ahmed Shehzad, 2 Kamran Akmal (wk), 3 Shoaib Malik, 4 Misbah-ul-Haq, 5 Younis Khan (capt), 6 Shahid Afridi, 7 Yasir Arafat, 8 Sohail Tanvir, 9 Umar Gul, 10 Mohammad Aamer, 11 Saeed Ajmal.

Given that the win against England was their biggest one yet, there are unlikely to be any changes from that starting XI.

Netherlands: (probable) 1 Alexei Kervezee, 2 Darron Reekers, 3 Ba Zuiderent, 4 Tom de Grooth, 5 Peter Borren, 6 Ryan ten Doeschate, 7 Daan van Bunge, 8 Edgar Schiferli, 9 Jeroen Smits (capt/wk), 10 Pieter Seelaar, 11 Dirk Nannes.

Pitch and conditions
Unfortunately for Pakistan, rain is forecast, but the Lord's pitch has offered both runs and movement off the seam.

Stats and trivia

25 - The least number of runs Pakistan must win by if they bat first to go through to the Super Eights. 7-0-73-1 - The combined figures of Pakistan's opening bowlers Yasir Arafat and Mohammad Aamer against England. 8-0-63-1 - The combined figures of Netherlands' opening bowlers Dirk Nannes and Edgar Schiferli against England.