The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 got off to an exciting start. Pakistan beat the Netherlands by 3 wickets with 3 balls to spare in the 1st match of Group A at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) in Colombo on February 7. Faheem Ashraf played the hero with an unbeaten 29 off just 11 balls. He rescued Pakistan from a tricky 114/7 and dragged them over the finish line in a match that kept fans on edge till the very end.
For the Netherlands, Scott Edwards top-scored with 37 off 29 balls, while Salman Mirza picked up 3 wickets for Pakistan. Saim Ayub earned the Cricinfo MVP award with 68.5 points after contributing with both bat and ball. Despite a strong fight from the Dutch side, Pakistan’s lower-order courage proved the difference.
Match Summary: PAK vs NED
Here is the complete match summary of this thrilling World Cup opener:
| Details | Information |
|---|---|
| Pakistan Score | 148/7 (19.3 overs) |
| Netherlands Score | 147 all out (19.5 overs) |
| Match Result | Pakistan won by 3 wickets (3 balls remaining) |
| Best Batting (PAK) | Sahibzada Farhan – 47 off 31 balls (4 fours, 2 sixes) |
| Best Batting (NED) | Scott Edwards – 37 off 29 balls (3 fours, 1 six) |
| Best Bowling (PAK) | Salman Mirza – 3/24 in 3.5 overs (Econ: 6.26) |
| Best Bowling (NED) | Aryan Dutt – 2/33 in 4 overs (Econ: 8.25) |
| Player of the Match | Faheem Ashraf (PAK) – 29* off 11 balls |
| Cricinfo MVP | Saim Ayub (PAK) – 68.5 pts |
| Venue | Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC), Colombo |
Pakistan won the toss and elected to bowl first. The decision looked smart early on, as their bowlers kept Netherlands batters under check through the powerplay. However, the Dutch middle order fought back before Pakistan’s spin duo of Abrar Ahmed and Saim Ayub pulled things back in the death overs.
Netherlands Innings: 147 All Out In 19.5 Overs
The Netherlands got off to a brisk start. Michael Levitt smashed 24 off just 15 balls, hitting 3 fours and a six to set the tone. He added 28 runs with Max O’Dowd for the first wicket before Salman Mirza struck to remove O’Dowd for 5.
Levitt’s aggression didn’t last long either. Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Nawaz combined to send him back, and the Netherlands slipped to 31/2 inside 5 overs. From there, Bas de Leede steadied things with a composed 30 off 25 balls, hitting 4 fours. He and Colin Ackermann (20 off 14) built a useful 34-run stand for the third wicket that pushed the score past 65.
Captain Scott Edwards then took charge. He played the anchor role well, scoring 37 off 29 balls with 3 fours and a six. His partnership with de Leede took the Netherlands past the 100-run mark by over 12. At the drinks break, they sat at 112/4 in 14 overs with Edwards batting on 28.
Pakistan’s bowlers tightened the screws in the final phase. Abrar Ahmed picked up 2 key wickets, including the dangerous Ackermann. Saim Ayub then delivered a double blow, removing Zach Lion-Cachet and Logan van Beek in quick succession. The Netherlands went from 127/5 to 128/6, then 129/7, as wickets tumbled.
Aryan Dutt tried a late counterattack, smashing 13 off 8 balls at a strike rate of 162.50, but it fell short. Salman Mirza wrapped up the innings with his third wicket, dismissing Paul van Meekeren. The Netherlands finished on 147 all out in 19.5 overs. Kyle Klein remained unbeaten on 2.
Netherlands Batting Scorecard
Here is the complete scorecard:
| Batter | Dismissal | Runs | Balls | M | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Levitt | c Shaheen b Nawaz | 24 | 15 | 23 | 3 | 1 | 160.00 |
| Max O’Dowd | c Usman b Mirza | 5 | 7 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 71.42 |
| Bas de Leede | c Babar b Nawaz | 30 | 25 | 42 | 4 | 0 | 120.00 |
| Colin Ackermann | b Abrar Ahmed | 20 | 14 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 142.85 |
| Scott Edwards (c) | c Farhan b Abrar | 37 | 29 | 32 | 3 | 1 | 127.58 |
| Zach Lion-Cachet | c Nawaz b Ayub | 9 | 8 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 112.50 |
| Logan van Beek | c Agha b Ayub | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Aryan Dutt | c Farhan b Mirza | 13 | 8 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 162.50 |
| Roelof van der Merwe | c Agha b Shaheen | 4 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 44.44 |
| Kyle Klein | not out | 2 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Paul van Meekeren | c Usman b Mirza | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Extras | (lb 1, w 2) | 3 | |||||
| Total | 19.5 Ov (RR: 7.41) | 147 |
Pakistan Bowling Figures
Here are the Bowling Details:
| Bowler | Overs | Maiden | Runs | Wickets | ECON | OS | WD | NB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shaheen Shah Afridi | 3 | 0 | 28 | 1 | 9.33 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Salman Mirza | 3.5 | 0 | 24 | 3 | 6.26 | 14 | 2 | 0 |
| Mohammad Nawaz | 4 | 0 | 38 | 2 | 9.50 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Shadab Khan | 4 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 6.50 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Abrar Ahmed | 4 | 0 | 23 | 2 | 5.75 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Saim Ayub | 1 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 7.00 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Fall of Wickets: 1-28 (O’Dowd, 3.1 ov), 2-31 (Levitt, 4.2 ov), 3-65 (Ackermann, 7.6 ov), 4-105 (de Leede, 12.4 ov), 5-127 (Edwards, 15.6 ov), 6-128 (van Beek, 16.2 ov), 7-129 (Lion-Cachet, 16.4 ov), 8-139 (van der Merwe, 18.4 ov), 9-147 (Dutt, 19.4 ov), 10-147 (van Meekeren, 19.5 ov)
Pakistan Chase: 148/7 in 19.3 Overs
Pakistan came out firing in the chase. Saim Ayub smashed 24 off just 13 balls with 4 fours and a six, showing his intent right from ball one. He and Sahibzada Farhan raced to 27 runs in the first 2.4 overs before Aryan Dutt struck to break the stand.
Sahibzada Farhan played the best innings of the match. He scored 47 off 31 balls, hitting 4 fours and 2 sixes at a strike rate of 151.61. Farhan and Salman Agha (12 off 8) added 26 runs quickly for the second wicket. Pakistan reached 50 in just 4.4 overs (28 balls) without losing an extra, and their powerplay score read a healthy 61/2.
Then came the collapse. Aryan Dutt struck again to remove Salman Agha, and the Netherlands got right back into the contest. Babar Azam walked in and struggled to find his timing, managing just 15 off 18 balls before Kyle Klein had him caught. Usman Khan fell for a duck to Paul van Meekeren, and suddenly Pakistan slipped from 98/3 to 100/5 as Babar departed.
The pressure kept building. Shadab Khan made just 8 off 12 before Logan van Beek got his wicket. Mohammad Nawaz added only 6 off 13 before Klein struck again. Pakistan found themselves at 114/7, still needing 34 runs from the last few overs. At the drinks break, they sat at 106/5 in 13.4 overs, and the situation looked grim.
That’s when Faheem Ashraf changed everything. The all-rounder walked in and turned the game on its head with an unbeaten 29 off just 11 balls. He struck 2 fours and 3 massive sixes, batting at a jaw-dropping strike rate of 263.63. Together with Shaheen Shah Afridi (5 not out off 9), Ashraf put on an unbroken 34-run stand for the eighth wicket. He stayed calm under pressure and hit boundaries at will to take Pakistan home with 3 balls left.
Pakistan Batting Scorecard
Here is the complete Scorecard:
| Batter | Dismissal | Runs | Balls | M | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sahibzada Farhan | c Merwe b Meekeren | 47 | 31 | 53 | 4 | 2 | 151.61 |
| Saim Ayub | c Merwe b Dutt | 24 | 13 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 184.61 |
| Salman Agha (c) | c Levitt b Dutt | 12 | 8 | 37 | 3 | 0 | 150.00 |
| Babar Azam | c Klein b Merwe | 15 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 83.33 |
| Usman Khan | b van Meekeren | 0 | 2 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Shadab Khan | c Edwards b Beek | 8 | 12 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 66.66 |
| Mohammad Nawaz | c Edwards b Klein | 6 | 13 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 46.15 |
| Faheem Ashraf | not out | 29 | 11 | 19 | 2 | 3 | 263.63 |
| Shaheen Shah Afridi | not out | 5 | 9 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 55.55 |
| Extras | (w 2) | 2 | |||||
| Total | 19.3 Ov (RR: 7.58) | 148/7 |
Netherlands Bowling Figures
Here are bowling Figures:
| Bowler | Overs | Maiden | Runs | Wickets | ECON | OS | WD | NB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aryan Dutt | 4 | 0 | 33 | 2 | 8.25 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Logan van Beek | 4 | 0 | 46 | 1 | 11.50 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Kyle Klein | 3 | 0 | 23 | 1 | 7.66 | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| Roelof van der Merwe | 3 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 4.33 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Paul van Meekeren | 4 | 1 | 20 | 2 | 5.00 | 12 | 1 | 0 |
| Bas de Leede | 1.3 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 8.66 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Fall of Wickets: 1-27 (Ayub, 2.4 ov), 2-53 (Agha, 4.5 ov), 3-98 (Farhan, 11.1 ov), 4-98 (Usman, 11.3 ov), 5-100 (Babar, 12.4 ov), 6-114 (Nawaz, 15.6 ov), 7-114 (Shadab, 16.1 ov)
Match Flow: Key Moments
Here are the key moments from the match:
Netherlands Innings Highlights
The Dutch powerplay produced 50 runs from 6 overs but cost them 2 wickets. They reached 50 in 5.6 overs (36 balls) with 3 extras. The 100-run mark came up in 12.1 overs (73 balls), again including 3 extras. At the drinks break, they sat well-placed at 112/4 in 14 overs with Edwards on 28 and Lion-Cachet on 2. However, the final phase ended in collapse as they lost their last 6 wickets for just 35 runs, finishing at 147 all out in 19.5 overs.
Pakistan Innings Highlights
Pakistan raced through the powerplay, scoring 61 runs in the first 6 overs while losing just 2 wickets. They hit 50 in only 4.4 overs (28 balls) with zero extras, showing aggressive intent. The 100-run mark arrived in 12.2 overs (74 balls) with just 1 extra. At the second drinks break, they sat at 106/5 in 13.4 overs, with Shadab Khan on 4 and Nawaz on 3.
A DRS review in over 16.1 went against Pakistan. Shadab Khan challenged a wicket decision by umpire HDPK Dharmasena, but the review struck down his appeal.
Player Of The Match: Faheem Ashraf Steals The Show
Faheem Ashraf earned the Player of the Match award for his match-winning knock of 29 not out off 11 balls.
He walked in at number 8 when Pakistan needed 34 runs from the death overs. With 2 fours and 3 sixes, he finished the game in style. His strike rate of 263.63 stood as the highest of any batter in the match.
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Conclusion: Pakistan Starts Their Tournament With Crusial Win
Pakistan started their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign with 2 points and a positive net run rate. Despite a scary middle-order collapse, their lower order showed nerves of steel to get the job done. The Netherlands put up a strong fight and proved they can compete with the big teams on their day.
The opening game of the tournament showed everything that makes T20 cricket thrilling: fast scoring, sudden collapses, individual brilliance, and a finish that went down to the wire. Pakistan will take confidence from this win, but their batting order needs greater consistency. For the Netherlands, the bowling effort in the middle overs stood out, and they will look to build on that in their next Group A fixture.
