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COLOMBO: Faheem Ashraf held on to his nerve in the final overs to help Pakistan edge past a spirited Netherlands side in the opening match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 here on Saturday at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground.
Chasing 148, the men in green crossed the line at 147 for 7 in 19.3 overs, surviving a nervy finish after the Netherlands applied sustained pressure through the middle overs.
Pakistan made a strong start through openers Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan, who provided early momentum.
Ayub set the tone with a brisk 24 off 13 balls, striking four boundaries and a six, before falling to spinner Aryan Dutt.
Farhan then combined with captain Salman Ali Agha to keep the scoring rate healthy, adding 50 runs by the fifth over.
However, Dutt struck again to remove Agha for 12 off eight balls, leaving Pakistan at 53 for 2 in 4.5 overs.
Despite the early wickets, Farhan remained composed and anchored the chase, eventually finding his rhythm.
He moved within sight of a ninth T20I half-century before being dismissed for 47 off 31 balls, an innings featuring four fours and two sixes. His wicket, claimed by Paul van Meekeren, reduced Pakistan to 98 for 3 in 11.1 overs.
Meanwhile, star batter Babar Azam struggled for his 18-ball 15 before falling to Roelof van der Merwe.
Van der Merwe struck again in the same over, dismissing Usman Khan for a second-ball duck, tightening the grip of the Netherlands on the contest.
Pakistan slipped further when another middle-order batter managed just 15 off 18 balls, allowing the visitors to build pressure during the crucial phase of the chase.
In the final five overs, Pakistan lost two more wickets as Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan fell for six and eight, respectively, courtesy of Kyle Klein and Logan van Beek.
With the required run rate climbing, Faheem Ashraf and Shaheen Shah Afridi held their nerve. Ashraf turned the match with a flurry of boundaries, including consecutive sixes, to swing momentum back in Pakistan’s favour.
Faheem finished unbeaten on a decisive 29 off just 11 balls, smashing two fours and three sixes, as Pakistan sealed a memorable win in the final over.
Earlier, the Netherlands innings began brightly after being invited to bat first as openers Michael Levitt and Max O’Dowd took early control, finding the boundary regularly.
Levitt, in particular, put Pakistan’s bowlers under pressure during the powerplay with an aggressive approach.
Pakistan drew first blood in the fourth over when Salman Mirza dismissed O’Dowd for five off seven balls, with wicketkeeper Usman Khan completing the catch behind the stumps.
Left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz then provided a key breakthrough in the fifth over by removing the in-form Levitt for 24 off 15 balls, an innings that included three fours and a six.
The dismissal featured a moment of brilliance in the field as Babar Azam leapt near the boundary to stop the ball before relaying it to Saim Ayub, who completed the catch.
Bas de Leede and Colin Ackermann attempted to rebuild, guiding the Netherlands past the 50-run mark inside the powerplay.
However, Pakistan struck again in the eighth over when Abrar Ahmed dismissed Ackermann for 20 off 14 balls, including four boundaries, leaving the Netherlands 65 for 3.
The visitors reached 100 runs in the 13th over, with captain Scott Edwards hitting a six off Nawaz. The spinner responded immediately, removing de Leede for 30 off 25 balls, making it 105 for 4.
Abrar continued his impressive spell by claiming his second wicket, dismissing Edwards for a crucial 37 off 29 balls, further denting the Netherlands’ momentum.
All-rounder Saim Ayub then struck twice in the following over, removing Logan van Beek for a first-ball duck and Zach Lion-Cachet for nine, reducing the Netherlands to 129 for 7.
Pakistan’s pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi chipped in by dismissing Roelof van der Merwe for four, before Salman Mirza wrapped up the innings in the final over, removing Aryan Dutt for 13 and Paul van Meekeren for a duck.
Salman Mirza finished as the standout bowler with three wickets for 24 runs in 3.5 overs. Mohammad Nawaz, Abrar Ahmed and Saim Ayub picked up two wickets each, while Shaheen Afridi claimed one.
