Faheem Ashraf’s Explosive Cameo Powers Pakistan To Thrilling Win Over Netherlands In T20 World Cup 2026
Colombo: Pakistan kicked off their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign with a hard-fought three-wicket victory over the Netherlands in Colombo on Saturday (Feb 7). In pursuit of 148, the former champions were rescued by a blistering match-winning performance from Faheem Ashraf, who remained unbeaten on 29 off just 11 deliveries. His aggressive knock featured three sixes and two fours, with a decisive 24-run assault on Logan van Beek in the penultimate over that effectively sealed the contest for Pakistan. Sahibzada Farhan anchored the innings with a composed 41 off 31 balls, while Saim Ayub provided early momentum with a brisk 24 from 13 deliveries.
The Netherlands bowling effort was spearheaded by Aryan Dutt (2/33) and Paul van Meekeren (2/20), who picked up two wickets each. Logan van Beek (1/46), Kyle Klein (1/23) and Roelof van der Merwe (1/13) chipped in with one wicket apiece.
Earlier in the day, after winning the toss, Pakistan elected to field first. The Netherlands were dismissed for 147 in 19.5 overs. Skipper Scott Edwards led from the front with a top score of 37 runs from 29 balls, striking three fours and a six. Bas de Leede contributed 30, Michael Levitt added 24 and Colin Ackermann made 20. Pakistan’s bowling unit was marshalled by Salman Mirza, who claimed three wickets for 24 runs. Saim Ayub, Abrar Ahmed and Mohammad Nawaz provided valuable support with two wickets each.
During the run chase, Pakistan made a promising start through Farhan and Ayub, but after Ayub fell to Dutt, consistent wickets hampered their progress. The Netherlands bowlers maintained pressure throughout the middle overs, but Faheem’s explosive hitting in the second-last over turned the tide decisively in Pakistan’s favour. With this opening victory, Pakistan climb the points table and will aim to maintain this positive momentum heading into their remaining fixtures in the T20 World Cup 2026.