In the opening match of the 2026 T20 World Cup, Pakistan defeated Netherlands by three wickets with just three balls remaining.
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Published February 7, 2026
The Netherlands almost pulled off a huge upset in the Group A match of the Twenty20 World Cup until a refreshing cameo from Faheem Ashraf helped Pakistan claim a three-wicket win.
The Dutch side, who came into bat on Saturday, were bowled out for 147 with innings remaining at the Sinhala Sports Club ground in Colombo.
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They then put in a lion’s share of effort with the ball, but dropping Faheem proved costly as the batsman hit 29 off 11 balls with three balls remaining to seal Pakistan’s victory.
Pakistan are left with little margin for error in qualifying for the Super 8 stage of the tournament following their decision to boycott the group match against arch-rivals India on February 15.
It seems that the importance of winning the group game against the midgets was not forgotten by Pakistan as they lost possession of the ball and defeated the Netherlands.
But they ravaged a small target with the bat, and the result might have been different if Max O’Dowd had held on to Faheem’s catch. The Dutch side, who came into bat first, reached 100 in 13 overs, but lost the plot in the death overs, conceding 6 wickets off 24 balls for just 20 runs.
Holland lost openers Max O’Dowd and Michael Levitt in successive overs, but the middle order refused to throw in the towel.
Bas de Lied (30), Colin Ackerman (20) and captain Scott Edwards (37) made useful contributions before the innings was out.
Spinner Saim Ayub picked up two wickets in 17 overs and Mirza struck twice in 20 overs to keep the Netherlands under par. Ayub, 24, came back with a four and a six as Pakistan started chasing, but Dutch spinner Aryan Dutta dismissed Ayub and Salman Agha in successive overs to keep his team in the match.
Babar Azam’s strike rate in this format is often debated and his dismissal after 18 balls and 15 will do little to convince the critics.
With Pakistan leading 119-7 after 18 overs, Faheem hit Logan van Beek for a six, whiffed the next ball, and O’Dowd hit the ball at long-off, giving the batsman a lead and clinching Pakistan’s victory for a four.
