New Delhi: ICC World Cup 2023 has entered its final phase as it already has its first elimination and first semifinal qualification by now. There are 8 teams still left in the hunt for the remaining three spots in the semifinals, and two of these 8 teams officially still in the hunt are the Netherlands and Afghanistan. The two teams will be taking the field against each other on Friday in the 34th match of the ICC World Cup 2023 at Lucknow’s Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, with the sole purpose of keeping their semifinal chances strong going forward in the tournament. Afghanistan has secured wins against three former world champion teams, England, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, meanwhile, the Netherlands have outsmarted two of the test-playing nations in South Africa and Bangladesh. Stronger than ever before! 💪🏻 Two teams filled with utmost potential collide for what could be an explosive match! 😁 Tune-in to #NEDvAFG in the #WorldCupOnStar Today, 12.30 PM onwards | Star Sports Network#CWC23 #Cricket pic.twitter.com/9Zuq8MGh8J — Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) November 3, 2023 Journey so far The two teams started their journey as it took both of them 3 matches to get their first point of the tournament. Afghanistan cricket team started their journey with back-to-back losses against Bangladesh and India by 6 and 8 wickets, respectively, but they shocked the world when they outclassed the defending champions England by 69 runs to register their first win of the tournament and their second win ever in the World Cup history. However, they once against lost to the Aussies by 149 runs after that, with every one thing that their win against the English team was just a fluke. But, the Hashmatullah Shahidi-led Afghanistan was ready to show they meant business this time around. They went on to win back-to-back matches against Pakistan and Sri Lanka by 8 and 7 wickets, respectively, not only proving that their win against England was not a fluke but also, to everyone’s surprise, they came out as one of the legit contenders for the final four spots. Winning moments @ACBofficials #Afghanistan #Pakistan #AFGvPAK #BabarAzam𓃵 #BabarAzam #PAKvsAFG #afganistanwin #RashidKhan #chepauk #celebration pic.twitter.com/YR0rFYr1P9 — naveen kumar (@Naveenkumar0492) October 23, 2023 A win on Sunday will take them to 8 points, which will be equal to Australia and New Zealand, which in itself will be a great achievement. On the other hand, the Dutch side started their campaign with consecutive losses against Pakistan and New Zealand by 81 and 99 runs, respectively, but just like their opponents on Friday, they also pulled an upset, giving South Africa their only loss in the tournament so far by 38 runs. They again lost two back-to-back games, first to Sri Lanka by 5 wickets, and then to Australia by a record 309 runs. However, the Orange army was not going down with a fight in the tournament as they defeated the Bangladeshi Tigers by 87 runs to keep their tournament alive. Lovely entertaining match Bangladesh vs Netherlands. Beats of dhol, audience dancing with every wicket or boundary, energetic atmosphere here at Eden Gardens.#ICCCricketWorldCup23 #EdenGardens pic.twitter.com/bO9vdZCC85 — Piyu Dutta (@PiyuduttaPiyu) October 28, 2023 The Dutch army, even though they are not favourites to finish in the top 4, a win on Friday will certainly open their gates for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 qualification. Head to Head records The two teams have locked horns against each other 7 times before this in ODI’s, and out of those 7 times, the Afghanistan team have come out on top 5 times, whereas the Dutch team have emerged victorious twice. However, their clash on Friday will be their first time meeting each other in World Cup history. Top performers Afghanistan: Top batsman: Hashmatullah Shahidi- 226 runs Top bowler: Rashid Khan- 7 wickets Netherlands: Top batsman: Scott Edward- 204 runs Top bowler: Bass de Leede- 10 wickets
