Heart-Stopper in Colombo! Pakistan Escape Giant-Killing Scare with Faheem’s Late Fireworks
Colombo, 07 February (Sports Desk)
Pakistan defeated the Netherlands by 3 wickets in a thrilling opening match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, played on February 7, 2026, at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo. This was the first match of Group A, and it turned out to be a dramatic contest where Pakistan chased down a modest target but nearly suffered an upset before a heroic late cameo turned the game.
Toss and Netherlands Innings
Pakistan captain Salman Agha won the toss and elected to bowl first on a pitch with some grass cover, which assisted the bowlers early on.
The Netherlands posted 147 all out in 19.5 overs. They started positively but lost momentum in the middle and death overs, collapsing dramatically by losing 6 wickets in the last 5 overs.
Key performers for Netherlands:
- Scott Edwards (captain) top-scored with 37.
- Bas de Leede contributed 30.
- Other notable contributions came from openers Max O’Dowd and Michael Levitt in the powerplay.
Pakistan’s bowling was disciplined, particularly in restricting the Dutch lower order:
- Salman Mirza was the standout with 3/24.
- Abrar Ahmed and Mohammad Nawaz each took 2 wickets.
- Saim Ayub chipped in with 2/7 (including in a part-time role).
Pakistan Innings (Target: 148)
Pakistan’s chase began strongly with openers Sahibzada Farhan (47) and Saim Ayub providing a brisk start, along with captain Salman Agha at No. 3. They reached promising positions like 89/2 and seemed in control early.
However, a shocking middle-order collapse followed:
- Pakistan slumped from a strong position to 114/7 at one stage (around 16 overs), needing 34 more runs.
- Key wickets included Farhan (47), Babar Azam (who scored modestly, around 7-15 in reports), Mohammad Nawaz, and others falling cheaply to spinners like Aryan Dutt (2/29) and seamers.
- The Netherlands bowlers, including Logan van Beek and Bas de Leede, brought them back into the game, putting Pakistan on the brink of a major upset.
The match was rescued by Faheem Ashraf‘s explosive unbeaten cameo:
- He smashed an unbeaten 29 off just 11 balls, featuring multiple sixes and boundaries.
- In the penultimate over (bowled by Logan van Beek), Faheem took 24 runs (including sixes and boundaries) to swing momentum dramatically.
- In the final over (19.3), Bas de Leede bowled a high full-toss, which Faheem thumped for four wide of cover to seal the win with 3 balls remaining.
- Shaheen Afridi supported at the other end with a handy 5*.
Pakistan finished at 148/7 in 19.3 overs.
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Result Summary
- Netherlands 147 all out (19.5 overs)
- Pakistan 148/7 (19.3 overs)
- Pakistan won by 3 wickets (with 3 balls to spare).
- Player of the Match: Likely Faheem Ashraf for his match-winning knock.
This victory gave Pakistan a crucial 2 points to start their campaign, avoiding what could have been a catastrophic upset against the Associate side. The Netherlands earned praise for their fight and nearly pulling off a famous win, reminiscent of past giant-killings.
The match highlighted Pakistan’s resilience under new leadership (Salman Agha) but also exposed middle-order vulnerabilities that they’ll need to address moving forward in the tournament.
