The T20 World Cup 2026 kicked off with a real bang. Right from the first match at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo, fans got a taste of high drama. Pakistan took on the Netherlands, and things got tense fast. After winning the toss, Pakistan’s captain Salman Agha chose to bowl. The Netherlands never really settled—couldn’t even bat through their 20 overs—and got bowled out for 147. But chasing 148 wasn’t a walk in the park for Pakistan, either. They stumbled too, and for a while, it looked like the game could slip away.
The Netherlands scored a fighting total
The Netherlands had a rocky start, but their captain Scott Edwards dug in with a gritty 37 off 29 balls. Bas de Leede chipped in with 30 off 25, and somehow they clawed their way to 147. Pakistan’s bowlers did the job as Salman Mirza grabbed three wickets. Pakistan’s spinners performed brilliantly in this match and did not give the Netherlands batsmen any chance to play freely. The duo of Abrar Ahmed and Mohammad Nawaz kept the batsmen under control. Mohammad Nawaz, Abrar Ahmed, and Saim Ayub picked up two each. Pakistan needed 148 runs to win, a target that wasn’t that much easy on the Colombo pitch.
Pakistan won in the final over
Pakistan got a good start from Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub. In the first two overs, the team scored 22 runs without losing a wicket. But, Pakistan’s chase was far from smooth. The batsmen struggled again, and honestly, it came down to the wire. Fahim Ashraf changed everything—his 24 runs in the 19th over flipped the game Pakistan’s way. Before that, a defeat looked almost certain. Sahibzada Farhan gave them a decent start, but the middle order crumbled. Babar Azam only managed 15 off 18 balls and left the team in a tight spot. In the end, Fahim Ashraf smashed 29 off just 11 balls and dragged Pakistan across the finish line in the final over.
