Pakistan edged Netherlands by 3 wickets in a thrilling T20 World Cup 2026 opener. Chasing 148, Faheem Ashraf’s unbeaten 29* (11) sealed dramatic victory with 3 balls left.
India/Sri Lanka: The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 kicked off with high drama in Colombo as Pakistan narrowly escaped an embarrassing defeat against a resilient Netherlands side. What seemed like a routine chase turned into a heart-stopping thriller, ultimately decided by the raw power of Faheem Ashraf.
Netherlands Innings: 147/10 (19.5 overs)
Scott Edwards top-scored with 37 off 29 balls. Meanwhile, Bas de Leede contributed 30, and Michael Levitt added 24 at the top.
With the ball, Salman Mirza led the charge for Pakistan. He picked up 3 for 24 in 3.5 overs. Abrar Ahmed and Mohammad Nawaz claimed two wickets each. In addition, Saim Ayub impressed with 2 for 7 in just one over. Shaheen Afridi also chipped in with a wicket.
The innings began to unravel at 28/1 with the dismissal of Max O’Dowd. Soon after, Michael Levitt fell at 31/2. Colin Ackermann departed at 65/3, followed by Bas de Leede at 105/4.
Scott Edwards was dismissed at 127/5, triggering a lower-order collapse. Logan van Beek fell at 128/6, and Zach Lion-Cachet followed at 129/7. Roelof van der Merwe was out at 139/8. Aryan Dutt departed at 147/9, before Paul van Meekeren became the final wicket at 147/10.
The side conceded just three extras, including one leg bye and two wides.
Pakistan Innings: 148/7 (19.3 overs)
Sahibzada Farhan top-scored with 47 off 31 balls. Faheem Ashraf remained unbeaten on 29 from just 11 deliveries. Meanwhile, Saim Ayub added a quick 24 off 13 balls.
For the Netherlands, Aryan Dutt picked up 2 for 33. Paul van Meekeren also claimed two wickets. In addition, Logan van Beek and the other bowlers chipped in with key breakthroughs.
Pakistan raced to 98/2 in 11.1 overs. However, the momentum suddenly shifted. They then lost five wickets for just 16 runs. As a result, the equation came down to 34 needed off the final 12 balls.
However, just when the pressure seemed overwhelming, Faheem Ashraf turned the tide. He smashed 24 runs in the 19th over off Logan van Beek, including three towering sixes that reignited hope. Consequently, the equation became far more manageable heading into the last over. Finally, maintaining his composure, Faheem sealed the game with a boundary off Bas de Leede, thereby completing a stunning comeback victory.
The bowlers from Pakistan did a job with their spin bowling and they were very careful at the end of the game. This helped to stop the Netherlands from scoring a lot of runs.. When it was time for Pakistan to bat they had some problems.
The people batting in the middle for Pakistan were not very strong. This was a big issue when they were trying to catch up. The Netherlands team showed that they can be a team to beat even though they are not one of the top teams.
They came close, to winning the game in a big surprise. Pakistan and the Netherlands were playing against each other.
This win gives Pakistan a valuable 2 points to start their campaign, while the Netherlands will take confidence from pushing a full-member side to the wire.
