Pakistan kicked off their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign with a thrilling three-wicket victory over the Netherlands at the Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo, on Saturday.
A tense chase saw all-rounder Faheem Ashraf emerge as the hero, while Sahibzada Farhan’s brilliant 47 off 31 balls and a superb bowling performance led by Salman Mirza (3/24) proved decisive.
Chasing 148, Pakistan got off to a shaky start, losing Saim Ayub (24 off 13) in the third over, caught by Aryan Dutt. Captain Aga Salman tried to steady the innings alongside Farhan but was dismissed for 12 in the fifth over. At one stage, the match seemed under Pakistan’s control, but a flurry of wickets in the middle overs put them under pressure.
In the 12th over, Paul van Meekeren removed Sahibzada Farhan on the very first ball, giving Pakistan their third wicket. Farhan had played an impressive 47 off 31 balls, hitting four boundaries and two sixes. In the same over, he had sent Usman Khawaja (0) back to the pavilion. In the next over, Rulof van der Merwe dismissed Babar Azam (15), putting Pakistan under pressure.
In the 16th over, Kyle Klein removed Mohammad Nawaz (6), and on the first ball of the next over, Logan van Beek dismissed Shadab Khan (8). Faheem Ashraf then came to the crease and took charge, hitting three sixes and a four in the 19th over to secure Pakistan’s win. Pakistan finished with 148/7 in 19.3 overs.
Faheem Ashraf remained unbeaten on 29 off 11 balls, including two fours and three sixes. Shaheen Shah Afridi was not out on 5.
For the Netherlands, Aryan Dutt and Paul van Meekeren took two wickets each, while Logan van Beek, Kyle Klein, and Rulof van der Merwe claimed one wicket apiece.
Earlier, Pakistan won the toss and chose to bowl. The Netherlands struggled against Pakistan’s bowling attack, being bowled out for 147 in 19.5 overs. Captain Scott Edwards scored 37 off 29 balls, Bas de Leede made 30 off 25, Michael Levitt scored 24 off 15, Colin Ackermann 20 off 14, and Aryan Dutt contributed 13 off 8 balls. Six Dutch batsmen failed to reach double figures.
Salman Mirza was the pick of the Pakistani bowlers with 3/24, while Mohammad Nawaz, Abrar Ahmed, and Saim Ayub took two wickets each. Shaheen Shah Afridi claimed one wicket.
