New Zealand will take on the Netherlands at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad for the 6th ODI of the tournament. New Zealand has been the runner-up in the past two World Cups (2015 and 2019). On the other hand, the Netherlands played some fantastic cricket in the qualifiers to book a ticket to India. This includes the famous run-chase against the West Indies where they chased down a mammoth 374 runs to take the match into the super over and eventually win it. World Cup generally produces many extraordinary talents. Listed below are five of the most important players from both the camps:
Rachin Ravindra
The list will definitely start with the surprise opener for the Kiwis, Rachin Ravindra. With the unavailability of Martin Guptill at the top, there was a huge question as to who would pair up with Devon Conway. Subsequently, the Kiwis took a gamble to pair up a proper pinch hitter with Conway in the form of Ravindra. The 23-year-old did not disappoint and made a classy 123 not out against England. Earlier, with his left-arm off-spin, Ravindra took 1 wicket as well. Hyderabad’s pitch assists the batsmen and will be a huge bonus for Ravindra. So, watch out for this exciting young prospect.
Devon Conway
After Ravindra, the next cricketer on the list will definitely be the reserve wicket-keeper Devon Conway. An attacking left-handed batsman who relishes batting at the top in limited-overs cricket, Conway is also an efficient wicketkeeper. Over the years, Conway has become a very reliable and dependable opening batsman, first with Guptill and now with Ravindra. Consistency and composure are Conway’s best allies, and his average in all three formats. Conway continued this in the match against England as he stitched a 273-run opening partnership with Rachin Ravindra. With a strike rate of 125.62, Conway batted and battered England who are the defending champions. Naturally, in the match against the Netherlands, he will be expected to notch up another ton.
Trent Boult
The Kiwis not only have a fearsome duo at the top but also have an extraordinary bowling unit that can chip in at any time. It will be led by their main strike bowler Trent Boult who has an economy of only 4.94. Over the last few years, Boult has been a rather silent assassin as his numbers have been phenomenal, to say the least. In the last few years, Boult has made an extraordinary partnership with Southee and at times Matt Henry. Boult finished joint-highest wicket-taker in the 2015 World Cup with 22 scalps. His memorable spell of 5-28 is still fresh in the memory of the fans around. Although he was not able to finish the job in the 2015 & 2019 World Cup, the left-hander will look to get it done this time around. Naturally, the Dutch batsmen will be tested against some fiery pace.
Vikramjit Singh
Indian-born but Dutch-raised, dashing left-handed opener Vikram Singh is a stand-out talent among the crop of players produced by the Netherlands’ youth system that are raising the bar for the new Oranje. Singh is a reliable left-hand batsman at the top with a strike rate of 77.2. In a country which is dominated by the game of football, the Dutch team has carved out a new identity thanks to players like Singh. Vikramjit played a very handy 52 against the Pakistanis. However, the Netherlands lost the match. Nevertheless, with some good footwork at his disposal, the likes of Trent Boult, Santner and Henry might face some trouble against the 20-year-old. Though Singh has yet to make the same impact in the shorter format, it is likely that Singh will be taking guard at the top of the order in Orange for many years to come.
Bas de Leede
Son of Netherlands great Tim de Leede and a seam-bowling all-rounder in the mould of his father, Bas de Leede comes from a large cricketing family. The highlight of his career so far came at the 50-over World Cup Qualifier where de Leede produced an all-time great ODI performance in a decisive group match against Scotland. In the 2023 World Cup, De Leede produced a fantastic spell of 4-62 to restrict the Pakistani batting lineup to 286 runs. Subsequently, he scored a fighting 67 runs to save the game which ultimately ended in Pakistan’s favour. Nevertheless, with a strike rate of 68.36 and an economy of 6.01, de Leede will be a useful all-rounder for the Dutch.
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