Pakistan have completed a 3-0 series sweep today in Rotterdam as they squeezed past the Netherlands by nine runs.

Batting first after they won the toss, Pakistan scored 206 before they lost their final wicket two balls from the end of the innings. Babar Azam top scored with 91 whilst Bas de Leede was the pick of the Dutch bowlers with 3-50.

The home team lost Max O’Dowd, Musa Ahmed and Bas de Leede cheaply before Vikramjit Singh and Tom Cooper put on 71 for the fourth wicket. That partnership ended when Singh was caught behind for 50, with Scott Edwards dismissed soon afterwards.

Cooper and Teja Nidamanuru got the Dutch into a decent position where they needed 38 from the last six overs with five wickets in hand. But Nidamanuru was removed for 24 in the 45th over, with Cooper falling for 62 an over later.

The rest of the batting order couldn’t chase down the target and the Netherlands were bowled out for 197. Naseem Shah bowled well taking 5-33, his best in ODIs.

The Netherlands have one scheduled series in the CWC Super League to come, a trip to Zimbabwe in March. There still remains the final two ODIs in the series against South Africa that was curtailed after the emergence of the Omicron variant of Covid-19, but with South Africa having already cancelled a series against Australia, it remains to be seen if that series will be rearranged.