Perth will provide points as Group 2 strugglers, Netherlands and Pakistan, look to rejuvenate their Super 12 campaign in the first of the double-headers on Sunday.
Netherlands and Pakistan go head-to-head in Perth, looking to register their maiden points of the Super 12 after successive defeats in their opening fixtures. With both teams' hopes of progression to the semi-finals hanging by a thread, victory is an absolute must if they are to keep their faint chances of survival alive.
Following Thursday's shock defeat at the hands of Zimbabwe, Babar Azam's men head into their third match knowing that their future in the tournament is beyond their control.
However, if they are to stand any chance, it remains essential for them to win all three of their remaining fixtures.
“We are as hurt as any cricket fan would be,” Pakistan fast bowler Haris Rauf said in his pre-match media conference.
“The tournament is not finished for us and we can still make a comeback, we have three games left and we are confident of doing well.
“We have analysed our mistakes and will do better. We are focused on our cricket and not listening too much to what is being said outside."
The equation remains the same for the Netherlands, who are also winless and sit bottom of the group due to an inferior net run rate. Having taken Bangladesh close in their opening Super 12 fixture, India proved to be a sterner test as the Netherlands batters fell 56 runs short in their chase of 179.
Sunday's meeting marks only the second contest between these two sides in the game's shortest format. In their previous encounter, the two sides met at Lords during the 2009 edition of the T20 World Cup, with Pakistan cruising to a conclusive victory of 82 runs in a campaign that saw them crowned champions.
Possible XI's:
Netherlands: Max O'Dowd, Vikramjit Singh, Bas de Leede, Colin Ackermann, Tom Cooper, Scott Edwards (c & wk), Tim Pringle, Logan van Beek, Shariz Ahmad, Fred Klaassen, Paul van Meekeren
Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Shan Masood, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Asif Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Shaheen Afridi
Key Players
Max O'Dowd
The Netherlands' top scorer at the 2021 T20 World Cup, Max O'Dowd, has once again led by example with the willow, having registered 153 runs at an average of 38.25. More runs from the opener will be crucial if the Dutch side are to record a famous victory in Perth.
Babar Azam
The tournament's leading run scorer a year ago, Babar Azam has yet to get going in Australia. With scores of 0 and 4 in the opening two matches, the Pakistan captain needs a score to his name. Hungry for runs, the Netherlands attack will have to be wary of the Pakistan opener.
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