PAK vs NED: Pakistan avoid humiliation; narrowly beat Netherlands in the T20 World Cup 2026 opener

Pakistan started their campaign in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 on a high note even though there were some hiccups. They defeated the Netherlands by three wickets in the tournament opener at the Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo on Saturday. Asked to bat, the Netherlands got all out for 147, which Pakistan chased with three balls to spare.

Michael Levitt (24) took the Netherlands off to a flying start as he launched an attack on Shaheen Afridi. But Pakistan made a quick comeback, removing him and Max ODwod within a span of four runs. Colin Ackermann (20) had a start but failed as the Netherlands lost three wickets for 65.

After that, Bas de Leede (30) and Scott Edwards (37) tried to steady the ship and played vital hands, adding 40 runs for the fourth wicket.

But, the Dutch side didn’t get the finish they would have wanted as they got all out for just 147 and couldn’t bat the full 20 overs. For Pakistan, Salman Mirza picked up three wickets. 

PAK vs NED: Faheem Ashraf saves Pakistan from humiliation as they defeat Netherlands by 3 wickets

Pakistan had a brilliant start to their chase with Saim Ayub (24) taking on bowlers right from the start. Captain Salman Agha and Babar Azam couldn’t make a big impact, but it was  Sahibzada Farhan (47), who kept his team in the hunt with his brisk innings.

What followed after that was brilliance by the Netherlands and poor cricket by Pakistan. From 98 for two, the Men in Green were reduced to 114 for seven in no time.

With the team under massive pressure and losing their way, it was Faheem Ashraf (25*) who in the 19th over brought his best and tilted the game in his team’s favour. Thanks to his heroics, Pakistan won the game with three wickets in hand.