Pakistan began their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign with a tense three-wicket win over the Netherlands at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo on Saturday, surviving a spirited challenge from the Dutch side.
Chasing 148, Pakistan appeared in control before a dramatic middle-order collapse turned the contest into a last-over thriller. Faheem Ashraf’s explosive finish ultimately ensured the 2009 champions secured victory in their tournament opener.
After being sent in to bat, the Netherlands made a confident start, reaching 50/2 in the Powerplay. Michael Levitt struck a brisk 24 off 15 balls, while skipper Scott Edwards anchored the innings with 37. Bas de Leede added 30 as the Dutch advanced to 123/4 in 15 overs, setting sights on a total in excess of 170.
However, Pakistan’s spin attack altered the course of the innings. Abrar Ahmed (2/23) and Saim Ayub (2/7) applied pressure through the middle overs, triggering a collapse that saw the Netherlands lose their final six wickets for just 20 runs. Salman Mirza finished with 3/24 as the Dutch were bowled out for 147 in 19.5 overs.
Pakistan’s chase began positively, with Saim Ayub striking three consecutive boundaries early. Sahibzada Farhan led the charge with a fluent 47 off 31 deliveries, helping Pakistan reach 98/2.
The match shifted sharply thereafter. Farhan, Usman Khan and Babar Azam fell in quick succession as Pakistan slipped to 105/5 in the 13th over. The pressure intensified when Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan also departed, leaving the side at 114/7.
Paul van Meekeren and Aryan Dutt bowled with control to tighten the contest, raising hopes of an upset.
With 29 required from the final two overs, Faheem Ashraf produced a decisive counterattack. He struck 24 runs off the 19th over, bowled by Logan van Beek, shifting the momentum back towards Pakistan. Ashraf then sealed the win with a boundary in the final over.
After receiving the Player of the Match award, Ashraf said, “We’ve been playing similar cricket for the past one year. So whatever job is given, we try to do it properly and in the best possible way. The heartbeat was fast, this kind wasn’t something new or the first time. So it was just about going out there and doing whatever we know how to do. With the batting partners, the discussion was to not give away our wicket. We can do it one over at a time. If we get 1 or 2 boundaries, we move closer. So, thank God, exactly what we wanted happened. (On the 19th over) When the ball was in the air, I kept praying for him to drop. We wanted to finish it quickly but sometimes it happens that your team collapses. In such situations, you have to keep your nerves under control. If you look at our team, even when we don’t play well, we keep our nerves in check, and because of that we get good results.”
Pakistan captain Salman Agha credited his bowlers for executing plans effectively.
“We have to do it the hard way, but I think when we bowled, we really stuck to our plans well. With 148 on this kind of pitch, I can take that any day,” he said.
Reflecting on the batting collapse, Agha added, “We batted well in the first 10 overs, but in this format, five or six bad overs can push you far away from the game.”
Netherlands captain Scott Edwards said his side believed 160 would have been competitive.
“We felt around 160 would have given us a fair chance. We were a bit under, so we knew we had to bowl really well,” he said.
Despite the late scare, Pakistan will take confidence from securing an opening win, while the Netherlands will draw positives from a performance that pushed one of the tournament favourites to the final over.
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