Colombo: Pakistan narrowly avoided an early setback as they began their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign with a thrilling three-wicket win over the Netherlands. The opening match was played at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground and kept fans on edge until the final over.

Chasing a target of 148, Pakistan were cruising at 98/2 before suffering a sudden collapse to 114/7. Just when the match seemed to be slipping away, Faheem Ashraf stepped up with a brilliant unbeaten 29 off just 11 balls. His late hitting helped Pakistan reach the target with three balls remaining.

Match Summary and Scorecard

The Netherlands batted first after losing the toss and were bowled out for 147 in 19.5 overs. Pakistan completed the chase at 148/7 in 19.3 overs.

Player of the Match: Faheem Ashraf

Toss and Team Line-ups

Pakistan captain Salman Agha won the toss and chose to bowl on a pitch that offered help to spinners.

Pakistan XI:
Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Agha (c), Babar Azam, Usman Khan (w), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Salman Mirza, Abrar Ahmed

Netherlands XI:
Michael Levitt, Max O’Dowd, Colin Ackermann, Bas de Leede, Scott Edwards (c/w), Zach Lion-Cachet, Saqib Zulfiqar, Aryan Dutt, Roelof van der Merwe, Timm van der Gugten, Paul van Meekeren

Umpires: Kumar Dharmasena, Wayne Knights, Richard Illingworth (TV)

Netherlands Innings: Good Start, Poor Finish

The Netherlands scored 147 all out in 19.5 overs at a run rate of 7.41. Captain Scott Edwards top-scored with 37 runs from 29 balls, hitting three fours and one six. Bas de Leede added 30 off 24 balls, while Colin Ackermann scored 24 off 21.

The key partnerships were 40 runs for the third wicket between Ackermann and de Leede, and 23 runs for the fourth wicket between de Leede and Edwards. However, the innings fell apart late. From a strong position of 127/4, the Netherlands lost their last six wickets for just 20 runs.

They scored 50/2 in the powerplay. Pakistan’s bowlers were impressive, led by Abrar Ahmed with 3/20. Salman Mirza took 2/28, Mohammad Nawaz claimed 1/28, while Shaheen Afridi went wicketless but conceded only 29 runs.

Pakistan’s Chase: From Control to Chaos to Calm

Pakistan reached 148/7 in 19.3 overs at a run rate of 7.59. Sahibzada Farhan played a steady innings of 47 off 30 balls, which included five fours and one six. Saim Ayub gave a quick start with 24 off 13 balls. Faheem Ashraf finished the match with an unbeaten 29 off 11 balls, hitting two fours and two sixes.

Important partnerships included 53 runs for the second wicket between Farhan and Ayub, and 45 runs for the third wicket between Farhan and Salman Agha. After reaching 98/2, Pakistan lost five wickets quickly and slipped to 114/7.

The turning point came in the 19th over, when Faheem Ashraf smashed 24 runs off Logan van Beek, hitting 4, 6, 4, 6, and 4. He then struck the winning boundary to seal the match. Pakistan were 53/1 in the powerplay.

For the Netherlands, Paul van Meekeren took 2/20, Timm van der Gugten picked up 2/24, and Logan van Beek finished with 2/46.

Key Moments and Turning Points

The Netherlands started aggressively, with Michael Levitt scoring 24 and Max O’Dowd adding 5. Levitt hit Shaheen Afridi for several boundaries before being dismissed by a sharp combined effort from Babar Azam and Shaheen.

The Netherlands’ innings collapsed sharply from 127/4 to 147 all out, losing six wickets for 20 runs. Abrar Ahmed’s spell of 3/20 played a major role.

Pakistan began their chase strongly, scoring 53/1 in the powerplay. Farhan held the innings together, but the middle-order collapse put Pakistan under pressure. Faheem Ashraf’s explosive 24-run over and final boundary turned the match in Pakistan’s favor.

Broadcast and Reactions

The match was streamed live on JioHotstar, with highlights available on the ICC’s YouTube channel. Media outlets praised Faheem Ashraf’s late hitting and called Pakistan’s win a dramatic escape. Fans on social media celebrated Babar Azam’s catch and expressed relief after the tense finish.

Pakistan’s unbeaten record against the Netherlands now stands at 3-0, including World Cup matches. The tournament continues under the shadow of the ongoing India–Pakistan boycott controversy.