Pakistan escape Netherlands scare to win T20 World Cup 2026 opener by 3 wickets
Colombo, February 7
Pakistan narrowly avoided a major upset against a resilient Netherlands side in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 campaign-opener at the Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo, on Saturday. Pakistan won their campaign-opener by three wickets after bowling all-rounder Faheem Ashraf got the team over the line from a tricky situation.
After being put into bat, the Netherlands adopted a fearless approach as they raced to 50/2 within the Powerplay. Michael Levitt (24 off 15) provided the early fireworks, including a massive six, before falling to Mohammd Nawaz (2/38 in 4 overs).
At the halfway mark, the Dutch were cruising at 79/3, and later reached 123/4 in 15 overs. Skipper Scott Edwards (37) and Bas de Leede (30) appeared to be guiding the team toward a formidable 170+ total. However, the Pakistani spinners, led by Abrar Ahmed (2/23) and Saim Ayub (2/7), triggered a catastrophic collapse. The Netherlands lost their final six wickets for just 20 runs, finishing 147 all out in 19.5 overs. Salman Mirza was the pick of the bowlers, cleaning up the tail to finish with 3/24.
Pakistan's pursuit of 148 began with Saim Ayub (24) hammering a hat-trick of boundaries in the second over, and Sahibzada Farhan looked in sublime touch, blasting 47 off 31 balls. At 98/2, the result seemed a formality for the 2009 T20 World Cup champions.
However, in a dramatic passage of play, Pakistan lost three wickets for just two runs. Pakistan lost Sahibzada Farhan, Usman Khan and Babar Azam in quick successions as Pakistan suddenly found themselves at 105/5 in 13 overs. Paul van Meekeren and Aryan Dutt then turned the screws as the score slipped to 114/7, with Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan also departing.
With 29 runs needed off 12 balls, Faheem Ashraf scored 24 runs in the penultimate over, bowled by Logan van Beek, and then hit the winnin boundary off the third ball of the last over to give his team the first points of the tournament.
Despite the scare, the 2009 champions will be relieved to start their campaign with a win, especially after having announced a boycott from their group-stage match against India.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Honestly, Pakistan should be worried. Needing a last-over finish against an associate team is not a good look for a side with such batting firepower. Their top order needs to be more responsible. The boycott news is also distracting everyone from the actual cricket.
Faheem Ashraf, take a bow! 24 runs in an over under that pressure is just incredible. Netherlands' collapse from 123/4 to 147 all out was the real turning point though. Pakistani spinners were brilliant in the middle. Exciting start to the World Cup! 🏏
As a neutral fan, this was fantastic entertainment! The Dutch were so brave. It's great for global cricket. The article mentioning the India boycott feels unnecessary here—let's focus on the game that was actually played.
A win is a win, but Pakistan fans must be having heart attacks! Losing 3 wickets for 2 runs against Netherlands... that's poor cricket. They got away with it this time, but against bigger teams, this middle order won't survive. Babar's early dismissal was a big blow.
Scott Edwards led the Dutch team really well. They should be proud. Pakistan's bowling, especially the spin attack, won them this game. The batting needs serious work before they face tougher opponents. The last paragraph about the India match is just stirring the pot.
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