T20 World Cup 2026: Pakistan beat Netherlands by 3 wickets in opening match of event

Colombo (Web Desk): Faheem Ashraf’s blistering knock of 29 off just 11 balls ensured Pakistan survived a tense finish to chase down 148 against the Netherlands in their opening match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo on Saturday.

With just three balls remaining, Pakistan sealed the win thanks to Faheem’s late heroics.

Needing 29 from the last two overs, Faheem unleashed three huge sixes and a boundary in the penultimate over to take 24 runs, then struck another delivery over the covers in the final over to finish the game with three wickets to spare.

Earlier, Pakistan’s innings had a strong start with their openers. Saim Ayub scored a quick 24 from 13 balls, including four boundaries and a six, before falling. Sahibzada Farhan came close to his ninth T20I fifty but was dismissed for 47 off 31 balls, hitting four fours and two sixes.

After the powerplay, Pakistan were 61-2 and cruising at 98-2 after 11 overs. However, the middle overs saw a dramatic collapse as they lost five wickets for just 16 runs, slipping to 114-7 in 16.1 overs. Aryan Dutt and Paul van Meekeren picked up two wickets apiece for the Netherlands.

Batting first, the Netherlands posted 147 all out in 19.5 overs. Captain Scott Edwards top-scored with 37 off 29 balls, which included four boundaries.

The Dutch had started positively, scoring 31 in 4.1 overs, with opener Michael Levitt hitting 24 off 15 balls (three fours, one six) and Bas de Leede contributing 30 off 25 deliveries with four fours.

Mohammad Salman Mirza broke through with figures of 3-24 in 3.5 overs, after which Pakistan’s spinners controlled the middle overs. With the Netherlands on 127-4 in 15.5 overs, Abrar Ahmed triggered a late collapse by removing Edwards.

From there, the Dutch innings crumbled, losing six wickets for just 20 runs. Saim Ayub claimed two in his only over, while Shaheen Shah Afridi took one and Salman Mirza picked up two more to wrap up the innings, setting the stage for Pakistan’s nail-biting chase.