Two teams which find themselves at the bottom of the points table look to salvage their campaigns as they meet on 28th October in what will be the first CWC 23 match to be held at the Eden Gardens.
The Netherlands were given a reality check against the Aussies following spirited performances in their previous 4 games, which was quite similar to what Bangladesh experienced against South Africa, except that their performances throughout the World Cup have been anything but spirited for the Bangladesh fans.
Team Overview
Netherlands
Coming into the tournament as the only associate nation, the Netherlands were a pleasant surprise for the tournament, with respect to how they managed to compete in their opening two matches against Pakistan and New Zealand(although the margin of loss won’t show that). Their performances culminated when they staged one of the biggest ODI World Cup upsets against South Africa, and fell just short against Sri Lanka. Thus, more was expected from the Dutch compared to the 309-run defeat they suffered yesterday.
Recent Form: LLWLL
First being blown away by the first ODI World Cup century, Netherlands were blown away for just 90 runs in the 2nd innings, succumbing to the 2nd largest defeat in ODIs(wrt margin of runs).
Netherlands batting has been atrocious, especially in the first 15-20 overs. On the other hand, throughout the tournament, the Dutch death bowling has outdone whatever leverage the Dutch bowlers have gained with the new ball.
Bangladesh
With a team like Afghanistan competing with the big nations, Bangladeshi fans must have expected a similar performance from the Tigers given their meteoric rise in the ODIs since 2015, their performance in the 2019 WC and how they have managed themselves in past bilaterals, but the team is yet to come anywhere near to the expectations prior to the tournament.
Except for a solid win against Afghanistan, Bangladesh have been defeated soundly and one-sidedly in their next 4 games
Recent form: LLLLW
Pacers who seemed to be the best lot in Bangladesh’s history have been subpar and Shakib’s leadership has been terrible, to say the least
14 average with the bat and 34 with the ball, rumours are he has travelled back to Bangladesh for a session with his “mentor” and there’s no 100% surety that he will be available at the Eden.
Probable Playing XI
Netherlands: Vikramjit Singh, Max O’Dowd, Colin Ackermann, Bas De Leede, Teja Nidamanuru, Scott Edwards (wk) (c), Logan Van Beek, Roelof Van Der Merwe, Aryan Dutt, Paul Van Meekeren
Despite their atrocious performance yesterday, we expect them to go unchanged on the 28th. Scott Edwards has hinted that the team will back its openers despite horrendous performances so far due to how crucial they were in the Netherlands qualification tournament.
Again Wesley Barresi, the most experienced member of the Dutch squad might finally be given a go, most probably in place of Teja, who has looked good for his short stays at the crease but is yet to make a mark.
Bangladesh: Tanzid Hasan, Liton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan (c), Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mahmudullah, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam
As stated earlier, there is no surety on Shakib’s availability. In case he isn’t present, Towrid Hridoy is his likely replacement.
Taskin, who has been Bangladesh’s best pacer for the last 1 year was dropped after 3 games. His replacement, Hasan Mahmud has maintained an economy of 9.43 in the next 2 matches. Thus, we expect a return for Taskin.
Pitch Report
It’s the first game of the 2023 CWC which will be held at Eden Gardens, thus it’s tough to predict the exact nature in which the pitch will play out on the 28th.
It’s the beginning of the cricketing season here. Moreover, the slow spin-haven Eden is long gone and has been a track for the Pacers for the last 5 years in the IPL.
On the other hand, Eden in the 2023 IPL was anything but a track for any bowler, seeing an average 1st innings score of 195.7 in IPL 23.
So expect a match where batters get full value for their runs and pacers of both sides to improve the performances seen in the World Cup so far.
Players To Watch Out For
Mahmudullah: Mahmudullah scoring runs for Bangladesh in ODI World Cups is one of the few positive constants in Bangladesh cricket.
814 runs @58.14 across 18 ODI WC innings, 3 out of Mahmudullah’s 4 ODI centuries have come in World Cups, with the latest one coming against South Africa in the previous match.
Unfortunately, he has found himself mostly at no. 6 or 7 throughout the tournament owing to other batsmen’s preferences. He might be given a promotion given he has been by far the best batsman of the team in the tournament.
Logan Van Beek: A dream initially seen with the Kiwis, Logan Van Beek is now fulfilling it with the Netherlands side.
In the ongoing tournament, he has the 2nd best batting average and best bowling average for the Netherlands. He hasn’t had much to do with the new ball but his wickets in the middle have been crucial. Plus, he has the ability to provide the finishing impetus coming at no. 8 though he has been called in much earlier to bat than expected, throughout the tournament.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz: Except for his MOTM performance in the opening game against Afghanistan, Mehidy is yet to impress with the bat though his performance with the ball against India and South Africa in the previous two matches was admirable, given how his teammates were smacked right, left and centre.
Having played as an opener and also as a number 7 throughout 2023, it’s important Bangladesh gives him better clarity when it comes to his role in the batting order, and expects him to carry their bowling, as he has done in the previous 2 games.
AUS vs NZ Dream11 Team for Match 27 of 2023 WC
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