The 2026 T20 World Cup got underway today at the SSC Ground in Colombo, with Pakistan defeating the Netherlands by 3 wickets in a nail-biting opening match.
After winning the toss, Pakistan chose to field first. The Netherlands were bowled out for 147 runs.
Captain Scott Edwards scored 37, while Bas de Leede contributed 30.
With the ball, Salman Mirza led Pakistan’s attack with 3 wickets, while Mohammad Nawaz, Abrar Ahmed, and Saim Ayub picked up 2 wickets each.
In reply, Pakistan were 61/2 at the end of the powerplay (6 overs). However, the innings stumbled as they slipped to 114/7, putting the match in the balance.
At the end of the 18th over, Pakistan still needed 29 runs to win. A crucial turning point came when Max O’Dowd dropped a catch off Faheem Ashraf.
Faheem then changed the game, smashing 24 runs in the 19th over, and Pakistan completed the chase in the final over.
Sahibzada Farhan scored 47, while Faheem Ashraf played the match-winning knock, remaining unbeaten on 29 off just 11 balls.
For the Netherlands, Aryan Dutt and Paul van Meekeren took 2 wickets each.
Pakistan thus won the opening match of the 2026 T20 World Cup by 3 wickets, with Faheem Ashraf named Player of the Match.
