While this moment came in the last few minutes of the day, it was worth the wait.
Hasan Ali and Haris Rauf were involved in a verbal spat with Paul van Meekeren during the second league game between Pakistan and the Netherlands in the World Cup 2023. Initially, Hasan exchanged a few words with the No. 11 in what was the 38th over of the second innings. While playing his first ball of the match, Hasan bowled a shorter-length delivery down the leg side to Meekeren, and the batter let it go, but the bowler was quick to chirp something while having a broad smile on his face.
While chasing a total of 287, the Netherlands lost the plot due to wickets in the bunch and their innings was derailed completely. They look well in the chase, but their inexperience and inability to bat according to the situation caused a collapse. Consequently, the Men in Orange couldn’t recover and bundled on 205.
It was a game that captured several moments right from the start. From Pakistan’s early collapse, which included the big names, to Bas de Leede’s resilient knock – this game had several pleasant moments. However, the heat between the Pakistani pacers and the Netherlands’ tailender took away the limelight eventually.
Also Read: Rahul Dravid issues update on dengue-affected Shubman Gill
While this moment came in the last few minutes of the day, it was worth the wait. The battle was on, and the World Cup has started to show its colours. Things are bound to heat when the stakes are high, and the pressure is at its peak.
While Hasan Ali ended the matter after a brief talk with Paul van Meekeren, Haris Rauf didn’t hesitate to continue. When he came to bowl in the next over, Haris bowled a short ball immediately to Paul van Meekeren. And after delivering it, Rauf was at it straight away.
He exclaimed a few words to Meekeren, and the batter was quick to reply as well. After playing a dot ball, Meekeren thwacked a fuller-length delivery past the backward point region for a boundary. The ball immediately went to say a few things to Rauf as the over ended.
In Rauf’s next over, Paul was on the strike again, and the battle continued. From the yorkers to the bouncers, the bowler tried everything. He was successful on the final delivery of the over, as Rauf bowled a pacy length delivery that crashed the stumps in no time.
Haris Rauf was pumped and signalled the shattered stumps to van Meekeren to show the revenge was taken. It was a nice little tussle between the two players. Haris Rauf eventually succeeded, but Paul van Meekeren was also fiery enough to make the battle worth watching.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
