Pakistan want to field their strongest XI for the World Cup opener. The one slight worry is opener Sahibzada Farhan, who could not turn starts into big scores against Australia. Babar Azam, Salman Agha and Usman Khan give the middle order stability, and the return of Shadab Khan has been a major boost after his cameos at number six against Australia.
With the ball, Shaheen Shah Afridi appears to have rediscovered his rhythm and will lead the attack. Shadab Khan, Abrar Ahmed and Mohammad Nawaz were highly effective against Australia, and that spin trio is expected to be a major weapon on the slower surfaces in Sri Lanka.
The Netherlands, led by Scott Edwards, are no pushovers. Their batting leans on Max O’Dowd, Edwards and Michael Levitt. Fred Klaassen, Kyle Klein and Logan van Beek will look for early wickets, while Roelof van der Merwe and Aryan Dutt aim to exploit Pakistan’s recent struggles against slower bowlers.
