COLOMBO, FEB 7: Faheem Ashraf played an explosive late cameo as Pakistan defeated a spirited Netherlands side in a nerve-testing opening match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at Colombo’s Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) Ground on Saturday.

Chasing 148 for victory, the Green Shirts looked in serious trouble after a middle-order collapse despite a brisk start, at one stage needing 29 runs from the final two overs. Batting at No. 8, Faheem — relatively new at the crease — rose to the occasion, smashing 22 runs in the penultimate over against Logan van Beek.

The left-hander struck three sixes and a four in the second-last over. Requiring four runs off as many deliveries, Faheem sealed the win with a boundary, finishing unbeaten on 29 off 11 balls to guide Pakistan to a memorable victory.

Earlier, opener Saim Ayub set the tone with a quickfire 24 off 13 balls, including four fours and a six, before being dismissed by Aryan Dutt in the third over, leaving Pakistan at 27-1.

Skipper Salman Ali Agha then joined Sahibzada Farhan, and the pair maintained the brisk scoring rate. Pakistan crossed the 50-run mark in the fifth over, although Agha fell soon after for 12 off 8 deliveries.

Farhan, joined by Babar Azam, continued the momentum and scored 47 off 29 balls. At one stage, Pakistan were cruising at 98-2 in 11 overs with two set batters at the crease. However, the Netherlands staged a strong comeback, reducing the Green Shirts from 98-2 to 114-7 with a flurry of wickets.

Paul van Meekeren triggered the collapse in the 12th over, claiming two wickets without conceding a run. He first dismissed Farhan before removing Usman Khan for a duck. In the following over, Roelof van der Merwe dismissed Babar Azam (15), leaving Pakistan struggling at 100-5 in the 13th over.

Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan also departed cheaply, pushing Pakistan further into trouble at 114-7 before Faheem’s late heroics carried the side over the line with three deliveries to spare.

In the first innings, Pakistan’s bowlers, particularly spinners, managed to pull things back and restrict the Netherlands to 147 runs in their 19.5 overs.

After being asked to bat first, the Dutch side were bundled out for 147 in 19.5 overs, setting 148-run target for the Green Shirts.

The Dutch side began positively, with opener Michael Levitt hitting a boundary off the very first delivery. The Netherlands continued their brisk start, scoring 28 runs in the first three overs without losing a wicket.

Pakistan struck back when Salman Mirza removed opener Max O’Dowd, who attempted a pull shot but became the first wicket of the tournament.

Levitt, who looked dangerous at the crease, was dismissed by Mohammad Nawaz after a brilliant reflex effort by Babar Azam, with Shaheen Afridi completing the catch near the boundary. Babar leaped to stop the ball on the boundary and quickly relayed it to Afridi, who held on to take the wicket.

Bas de Leede and Colin Ackermann steadied the innings, taking the Netherlands past the 50-run mark inside the powerplay. However, Abrar Ahmed struck in the eighth over, dismissing Ackermann for 20 off 14 balls to leave the Netherlands at 65-3.

The Dutch reached 100 in the 13th over, with skipper Scott Edwards hitting a six off Nawaz. But the spinner struck back, removing de Leede for 30 off 25 balls to make it 105-4. Abrar then claimed his second wicket, dismissing Edwards for 37 off 29 balls.

Saim Ayub tightened the screws in the next over, removing Logan van Beek for a first-ball duck and Zach Lion-Cachet for nine, reducing the Netherlands to 129-7.

Shaheen Afridi dismissed Roelof van der Merwe for four, while Salman Mirza wrapped up the innings in the final over by removing Aryan Dutt for 13 and Paul van Meekeren for a duck.

Salman Mirza led Pakistani bowling attack, finishing with 3 wickets for 24 runs in 3.5 overs. Mohammad Nawaz, Abrar Ahmed, and Saim Ayub took two wickets each, while Shaheen Afridi contributed with one wicket.