PAK vs NED Dream11 prediction: 3 differentials you can pick in today’s World Cup 2023 match – 6th Oct, 2023

Pakistan and the Netherlands meet in the 2nd game of the 2023 World Cup on Friday, October 6, at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.

Pakistan played both their warm-up matches at the same venue against New Zealand and Australia, losing both. While Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan's good form was a positive sign, their bowlers really struggled to make inroads in some challenging bowling conditions.

A game against the lowest-ranked team of the tournament, the Netherlands, provides them the opportunity to gain some form heading into the tougher matches. That, however, doesn't mean Scott Edward's side should be taken lightly by any means.

The Dutch side comes into this World Cup as a direct result of a stellar qualifying campaign played without most of their first-choice players. They're a side full of grit and fight, and it'll be interesting to see if they can cause a few shocks and upsets in this tournament.

On that note, let's now look at three differentials to select for your Dream11 teams from this match.

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#3 Teja Nidamanuru (NED)

The Pakistan batters are being preferred to the Dutch options by many Dream11 managers and that's completely understandable. However, differential potential resides only in these sorts of risky picks, and one such player is Teja Nidamanuru, who is an ex-Andhra Pradesh cricketer who has played many crucial knocks for the Netherlands.

He should be very familiar with the wicket at Hyderabad, and since he's a middle-order batter, the threat of Shaheen Afridi with the new ball should pass by the time he walks out to the middle. The Pakistan spinners haven't really had much of an impact, and if the wicket plays like it did in the warm-up matches, batters will have a feast.

His ownership being low is natural as he's not even guaranteed to be in the playing XI, but if you want to take a gutsy call, Teja Nidamanuru is your guy for this match.

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#2 Roelof van der Merwe (NED)

Van der Merwe stands a good chance of ending up Netherlands' highest wicket-taker in the tournament.

Roelof van der Merwe is among the most experienced players in this Netherlands squad, and the side will rely heavily on him to provide breakthroughs and control during the middle overs. He has played four international matches, two each for South Africa and the Netherlands, in India.

He has also featured in 24 IPL matches and is easily their most familiar player with Indian conditions. At No. 8, he's also a very handy batter, and considering that the Netherlands will likely be bowled out in every game, there's a good chance he gets ample time with the bat in the middle to score some useful runs and add to the points he can score with the ball.

His ownership is pretty low, and if you're looking for a safer differential pick, he'd be a great pick.

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#1 Mohammad Wasim Jr. (PAK)

It's a toss-up between Mohammad Wasim Jr. and Hasan Ali for that third seamers' slot, and right now, it looks like the former will get the nod ahead of Naseem Shaj's replacement Hasan Ali. What this means, though, is that Mohammad Wasim Jr. will open the bowling alongside Shaheen Afridi, hugely boosting his wicket-taking prospects.

While the brilliance of Naseem, Shaheen, and Haris has kept him on the fringes, Mohammad Wasim has delivered when he has gotten the opportunity and has picked up 24 wickets in 16 matches at a decent economy rate of 5.25. Very often, when the focus is on one bowler (Shaheen), it's wise to double up with their bowling partner on Dream11 in a match where the team is guaranteed wickets.

With ownership levels in single digits, Mohammad Wasim could be a terrific Dream11 differential.