Pakistan Begin T20 World Cup 2026 Campaign in Typical Fashion

Pakistan began their ICC T20 World Cup 2026 campaign with a thrilling three-wicket victory over the Netherlands at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, clinching the win in the final over. Chasing 148, the Men in Green reached 147 for 7, edging past the Dutch side in a tense finish.

The innings began aggressively for Pakistan, with openers Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan providing a rapid start. Saim struck 24 off 13 balls, featuring four fours and a six, before spinner Aryan Dutt made the breakthrough. Farhan continued the momentum and, alongside captain Salman Ali Agha, pushed the score forward with a quick 50-run partnership inside the first five overs. However, Dutt struck again to dismiss Salman for 12, leaving Pakistan 53 for 2.

Farhan held the innings together while Babar Azam took time to settle. Babar eventually got going and looked poised for a half-century, but Roelof van der Merwe dismissed him for 47 off 31, and then removed Usman Khan for a second-ball duck in the same over, leaving Pakistan at 98 for 4.

The chase slowed thereafter, with Pakistan losing momentum and key wickets falling, including Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan, which kept the match in the balance. The Netherlands tightened their grip, but Faheem Ashraf and Shaheen Afridi steadied the ship in the final overs.

Faheem turned the game around with back-to-back sixes and remained unbeaten on 29 off 11 balls, hitting two fours and three sixes. His late assault, alongside Afridi’s support, sealed a memorable comeback for Pakistan in the tournament opener.

Earlier, the Netherlands set the stage with a strong start after being asked to bat. Openers Michael Levitt and Max O’Dowd found early boundaries, but Pakistan struck first when Salman Mirza dismissed O’Dowd for 5 in the fourth over. Mohammad Nawaz followed by removing Levitt for 24, with a sharp catch by Shaheen Afridi.

Bas de Leede and Colin Ackermann then rebuilt the innings, helping the Dutch reach 50 inside the powerplay. Abrar Ahmed struck back in the eighth over, dismissing Ackermann for 20 and reducing the Netherlands to 65 for 3. The Dutch captain Scott Edwards launched a six off Nawaz as the team crossed 100 in the 13th over, but de Leede was soon dismissed for 30.

Abrar picked up his second wicket by sending Edwards back for 37. Pakistan continued to apply pressure as Saim Ayub struck twice in the next over, removing Logan van Beek and Zach Lion-Cachet. Shaheen then dismissed van der Merwe, and Salman Mirza cleaned up in the final over, taking two wickets to finish the Dutch innings at 147 all out.

Mirza led Pakistan’s bowling with figures of 3 for 24 in 3.5 overs, while Nawaz, Abrar, and Saim took two wickets each, and Shaheen grabbed one. The disciplined bowling effort ensured Pakistan restricted the Netherlands to a chaseable total, setting the stage for the dramatic finish.