ROTTERDAM: Pakistan captain Babar Azam led the solid foundation after a dismal start while the wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha displayed grit with unbeaten fifties as Pakistan thumped the Netherlands by seven wickets in the second ODI.
Set to chase a mere 187, Pakistan comfortably steered to victory in the 34th over for the loss of three wickets.
The touring side were off to a dismal start to their run chase as they lost both their openers at a skimpy total of 11 in the fourth over.
Following the early horror, skipper Babar and wicket-keeper batter Rizwan stood up and anchored the run chase with a valiant 88-run partnership before the former fell briefly after amassing his half-century.
Babar scored 57 off 65 deliveries, laced with seven boundaries, while Rizwan held his ground and embarked a match-winning partnership with Salman.
The pair took on the Dutch bowlers and maintained the momentum in their favour as they scored runs at a decent pace and eventually led Pakistan to a resounding victory in the 34th over.
Rizwan top-scored for the side with an unbeaten 69 off 82 balls with the help of six boundaries and a six, while Salman scored an unbeaten 50 off a mere 35 balls.
The right-handed batter smashed five boundaries and two sixes – out of which, one came on the penultimate delivery of the match, which saw him amassing his first half-century in white-ball cricket.
For the Netherlands, Vivian Kingma impressed as he bagged two wickets, while Aryan Dutt made one scalp.
The Netherlands, after opting to bat first, could not set a commendable target for Pakistan as the side bundled out for 186 in the 45th over despite the fifties from Bas de Leede and Tom Cooper.
Batting first, the home side were off to a dismal start as they lost three wickets for a mere eight runs in the third over.
Cooper and de Leede then anchored the proceedings for the hosts as they added a valiant 109 runs for the fourth wicket.
Right-handed batter Cooper, who enjoyed a second life after Naseem Shah overstepped while dismissing him caught and ball, went on to smash a brilliant half-century before Nawaz removed him in the 26th over for 66. He faced 74 balls and smashed nine boundaries and two sixes.
The hosts then again began to lose wickets at an alarming rate while de Leede held his ground firm and kept the scoreboard ticking single-handedly.
Besides de Leede and Cooper, only all-rounder Logan van Beek could amass the double figures as the rest of the batters failed to contribute significantly.
Right-handed batter de Leede top-scored for the side with a valiant knock of 89 runs off 120 deliveries, laced with two boundaries and three sixes before Haris removed him in the 45th over.
For Pakistan, Haris and Nawaz bagged three wickets each, while Naseem claimed two. Shadab Khan and Mohammad Wasim Jr, on the other hand, made one scalp each.
