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T20 World Cup
Pakistan beat Netherlands in nerve-testing opener
Faheem Ashraf's late cameo seals victory for Green Shirts following middle-order collapse
Daily Sun Report, Dhaka
Published: 07 Feb 2026, 03:01 PM
Pakistan's Faheem Ashraf plays a shot during the 2026 ICC Men's T20 Cricket World Cup group stage match between Pakistan and Netherlands at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) Ground in Colombo on February 7, 2026. Photo : AFP
Pakistan beat Netherlands by three wickets in the opening match of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 at Colombo’s Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) Ground on Saturday.
Chasing a target of 148, Pakistan reached the total in the final over to secure a hard-fought victory.
Faheem Ashraf's late blitz take Pakistan to a thrilling three-wicket victory over Netherlands. In the chase of 148, Pakistan got a brilliant start with Sahibzada Farhan scoring 47 off 31 balls. However, Netherlands brought a new twist as they scalped quick wickets, reducing Pakistan to seven down.
Later, Faheem Ashraf scored an unbeaetn 29 off 11 balls (two fours and three sixes) and took Pakistan across the line.
Earlier in the day, Pakistan's spinners had put the team in a commanding position by bowling out the Netherlands for 147.
Despite losing seven wickets, Pakistan still managed to steal a thrilling victory over Netherlands in the chase of 148. In the 19th over, Pakistan needed 29 off 12 balls when Faheem Ashraf went bonkers and scored 24 runs against Logan van Beek. In the last over, Faheem hit a boundary to take Pakistan across the line.