3 things to watch out for in crucial Bangladesh-Netherlands clash in 2024 T20 World Cup
Bangladesh will meet the Netherlands in a blockbuster Group D clash of the 2024 T20 World Cup on Thursday, June 13, at Arnos Vale Ground, Kingstown in St Vincent. The result of this game will provide a clear picture of who will qualify for the Super 8 from this group along with South Africa.
Heading into this game, both teams have won one game each in two appearances, with the Tigers having a slightly better net run rate. It will be interesting to see which among them will get back to winning ways after losing to the Proteas.
On that note, let's take a look at the three key things to watch out for in the BAN-NED clash of the T20 World Cup.
#1 What would a fresh pitch have on offer for both teams?
With the T20 World Cup being held in the Caribbean and the USA, Arnos Vale Ground in Kingstown got an opportunity to host international matches after more than a decade.
This ground hosted the Test fixture between West Indies and Bangladesh in September 2014, while Pakistan and West Indies played a T20I series in July 2013. The common point between these matches were the assistance provided to the spinners, as they secured far more wickets than the pacers.
Moreover, the highest score of 158 was achieved by Pakistan among the four T20Is played at this venue.
Now, with a fresh surface prepared, it will be interesting to see how the pitch behaves in its first game of the T20 World Cup 2024.
#2 Who among both sides can get a batting boost in a clutch T20 World Cup game?
Bangladesh and the Netherlands faced close defeats to South Africa in their last outing of the T20 World Cup. Although their bowling unit was terrific with their performances, the batting department let them down.
Bangladesh failed to chase the target of 114, with the failure of key players like skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan and Litton Das. The experienced finisher Mahmudullah and in-form Towhid Hridoy could not seal the chase as well.
They will look to stitch partnerships and secure consistent boundaries to get things going in this game.
Meanwhile, the Netherlands side managed to score only 103 against the Proteas, following a similar pattern of losing wickets early like Bangladesh. They will need contributions from opener Max O'Dowd, who scored a half-century against Nepal.
The Netherlands' skipper Scott Edwards hasn't turned up yet in the last two games, while they will expect clutch contributions from their all-rounders, Bas de Leede and Logan van Beek. Furthermore, Sybrand Engelbrecht, who hit 40 against South Africa will be a key batter for the side as well.
#3 Who will prevail among pace-heavy vs balanced bowling attack?
Undoubtedly, it will all come down to the best bowling attack among the two teams, which will help their respective sides come out as winners.
In the last game, Bangladesh pacers Tanzim Hasan Sakib and Taskin Ahmed stunned the Proteas top-order. Mustafizur Rahman, who picked up three wickets against Sri Lanka, will be a threat to the Dutch side as well.
Moreover, with the fine form of Rishad Hossain and the experience of Mahmudullah and Shakib Al Hasan, Bangladesh have effective spin-bowling assets.
On the other hand, the Netherlands team have Paul van Meekeren and Vivian Kingma as their specialist pacers, while Bas de Leede and Logan van Beek as the other medium pacers. The side only has Tim Pringle as the specialist spinner, who picked up three wickets in their first T20 World Cup 2024 game against Nepal.
It will be interesting to see if the well-rounded Bangladesh bowling unit can rout the Dutch batters, or if their batters fall prey to the Netherlands pacers.