What happened
Pakistan beat the Netherlands by three wickets in their opening match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at Colombo’s Sinhalese Sports Club ground on Saturday 7 February 2026, avoiding one of the tournament’s biggest early upsets. Put in to bat, the Dutch were bowled out for 147 with one ball of their innings left, and Pakistan reached 148 for seven with three balls to spare, according to a Reuters match report published on 7 February.
Faheem Ashraf, named player of the match, finished unbeaten on 29 off 11 balls after being dropped at long-off by Max O’Dowd in the penultimate over. Reuters reported that Pakistan were reeling at 119 for seven after 18 overs and that Faheem hit Logan van Beek for a six before skying the next delivery, only for O’Dowd to floor the catch; Faheem then sealed the win with a four.
How the game turned
The Netherlands had reached 100 in the 13th over but lost their way at the death, surrendering six wickets in 24 balls for just 20 runs. Openers Max O’Dowd and Michael Levitt fell in successive overs, but the middle order resisted: Bas de Leede made 30, Colin Ackermann 20 and captain Scott Edwards 37. Pakistan left-arm spinner Saim Ayub claimed two wickets in the 17th over, and Salman Mirza took 3 for 24, striking twice in the final over to hold the Dutch to a below-par total.
Pakistan’s chase was seldom comfortable. Ayub, opening the batting, struck four fours and a six in a 24-run contribution, but Dutch spinner Aryan Dutta dismissed Ayub and captain Salman Agha in successive overs. Babar Azam’s 18-ball 15 did little to quiet debate about his scoring rate in the format, and it took Faheem’s late hitting to prevent an upset.
Why it matters
The result gave Pakistan two points in Group A, but the narrow margin underlined their limited room for error. Pakistan had decided to boycott their group fixture against arch-rivals India, leaving them with little slack in the race for the Super 8 stage. The Netherlands, who had never beaten a full-member side of Pakistan’s standing at a world cup, were left to reflect on a match captain Edwards described as “a cruel game” after his side’s late collapse.
“They managed to pull wickets down and the pressure came in,” Salman Agha said afterwards, according to Reuters. “Credit to Faheem, the way he batted.”
What is still uncertain
Pakistan’s reliance on a late rescue against an associate member will sharpen scrutiny of their batting order before tougher Group A fixtures KhabarWire’s earlier coverage traced the squad’s arrival in Sri Lanka and the build-up to this opener. The margin of victory is settled, but whether the middle order can withstand stronger bowling attacks remains open.
Sources & reporting notes
This article is a synthesis of contemporaneous wire reporting on the 7 February 2026 T20 World Cup opener in Colombo, not an eyewitness account. Sources were reviewed on 7 February 2026.
- Reuters, via The Star — "Nervy Pakistan survive Dutch scare in T20 World Cup opener"7 February 2026 · Match report by Amlan Chakraborty: the Netherlands' 147 all out, Pakistan's three-wicket win with three balls left, Faheem Ashraf's 29 not out off 11 balls and the dropped catch, the Dutch middle-order scores, the bowling figures of Ayub and Mirza, Babar Azam's 18-ball 15, the Pakistan decision to boycott the India fixture, and the post-match quotes from Salman Agha and Scott Edwards.
