Bangladesh and Netherlands out to boost faltering campaigns
Saturday 28 October, Eden Gardens, Kolkata
It has been more than a decade since Bangladesh and Netherlands crossed paths in an ODI, with their only two meetings in the format coming in 2010 and 2011.
Mahmudullah Riyad on his journey to now scoring half of Bangladesh's total of six World Cup hundreds after his century at the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023
The ledger is split at 1-1 but Bangladesh crucially won the second of those encounters on their home soil in Chattogram during the Cricket World Cup 2011.
While the two teams might be unfamiliar to each other, and this time meet on neutral ground, they are in strikingly similar positions with each of their Cricket World Cup 2023 campaigns on the brink of falling apart.
Netherlands replaced Bangladesh at the bottom of the standings following their crushing 309-run loss at the hands of Australia and little now separates the teams even with England since sliding in between them.
Netherlands pacer Paul van Meekeren on the long route to living his dream of playing cricket at the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023
Both teams can still turn to early triumphs in the tournament that hinted at bigger things to come though they have since been unable to back it up.
This meeting between two evenly-matched outfits gives both sides an opportunity to grasp that elusive second win that might be enough to later label their trip to India as a success.
**Netherlands squad:**Scott Edwards (c), Max O'Dowd, Bas de Leede, Vikram Singh, Teja Nidamanuru, Paul van Meekeren, Colin Ackermann, Roelof van der Merwe, Logan van Beek, Aryan Dutt, Ryan Klein, Wesley Barresi, Saqib Zulfiqar, Shariz Ahmad, Sybrand Engelbrecht.
**Bangladesh squad:**Shakib Al Hasan (c), Litton Kumer Das, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Najmul Hossain Shanto (vc), Tawhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah Riyad, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nasum Ahmed, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib.
Netherlands - Bas de Leede
The all-rounder has been one of the leading contributors in Netherlands’ recent success but now has to bounce back from a dismantling at the hands of Glenn Maxwell.
De Leede conceded 115 runs from 10 overs against Australia to claim the unwanted record for the most runs conceded in an ODI innings.
Few would blame de Leede for allowing Maxwell to get off the leash when the Australia heavy-hitter is in such imperious form, but the Netherlands’ young gun will want to make his own mark against Bangladesh.
De Leede has proven he can do his own damage with the ball, and has nine wickets from five matches at the tournament, but is due a decent innings since last making a fifty in Netherlands’ opening fixture against Pakistan.
Bas de Leede's all-round showing gave Netherlands hope against Pakistan at the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023
Bangladesh - Mahmudullah
The veteran became the first Bangladesh batter to score three centuries in Cricket World Cups with a fighting 111 against South Africa in his most recent knock.
Mahmudullah is also the third batter from any team to score three or more World Cup hundreds while batting at No.4 or below, as he has regularly held the Bangladesh middle order together for more than a decade.
While this tournament might be the 37-year-old’s swansong he looks on track to go out with a bang and after compiling 198 runs at an average of 99 so far, and looms as the dangerman for Netherlands in an evenly-matched contest.
Batting highlights as Mahmudullah scored a fighting century for Bangladesh against South Africa at the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023