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Pakistan captain Babar Azam and pace spearhead Haris Rauf were spotted engaging in what looked like a light-hearted banter during the country's opening ODI World Cup 2023 match against the Netherlands. The incident occurred when Rauf was introduced into the attack after the completion of eight overs during the Netherlands' innings. As Rauf was getting ready to deliver the first ball of his spell, Babar hilariously slapped his premier pacer.
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Talking about Rauf, the right-arm fast bowler bowled an explosive spell against the Dutch at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. Rauf bowled with venom and rattled the Netherlands batter with his sheer pace before finishing with figures of 3/43 in nine overs.
Rauf also overhauled Mohammed Siraj's wickets tally in ODIs in terms of most wickets bagged by a bowler since 2022. Siraj has 52 wickets while Rauf now has 53 strikes to his name in 50-over international cricket since the aforementioned time frame.
Coming back to the game, under the leadership of Babar Azam, Pakistan overcame initial challenges to secure an 81-run triumph over the Netherlands. The notable performances of Mohammad Rizwan and Saud Shakeel, each scoring half-centuries, bolstered by a solid bowling display, fortified Pakistan's dominance over the Dutch side.
The Pakistani batting line-up, which initially struggled against a spirited Netherlands bowling unit, found stability when Rizwan and Shakeel knitted a vital 120-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Further strengthening the innings, Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz added another 64 runs for the seventh wicket, helping Pakistan set a competitive target of 286, although being bowled out in 49 overs.
From the Netherlands, Bas de Leede stood out both with the ball, securing four wickets, and with the bat, crafting a beautiful knock of 67 runs off 68 balls, decorated with six boundaries and two maximums. Yet, despite his commendable efforts, the Netherlands fell short, getting all out for 205 runs in 41 overs.
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Watch: Haris Rauf and Paul van Meekeren indulge in heated on-field verbal fight before Pakistan pacer has the last laugh; video goes viral
