Pakistan and the Netherlands faced off in the first encounter of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 on February 7, 2026, at the SSC Ground in Colombo. Salman Ali Agha, Pakistan's captain, won the toss and decided to bowl first.
The Netherlands scored 147 runs in 19.5 overs, with Scott Edwards leading the way with 37 runs, followed by Bas de Leede (30), Michael Levitt (24), and Colin Ackermann (20). Pakistan's Salman Mirza got 3/24, with Mohammad Nawaz, Abrar Ahmed, and Saim Ayub each taking two wickets.
In response, Pakistan made a meal of the chase right from the start. Saim Ayub fell for a 13-ball 24, while Sahibzada Farhan top-scored with 47 in 31 balls. Babar Azam made 15 runs in 18 balls, and the Netherlands continued to take wickets at regular intervals.
It was only because of Faheem Ashraf, who received a lifeline due to a dropped catch, hammering 24 runs in the 19th over and ensuring Pakistan eked out a win by 3 wickets. Faheem remained unbeaten on 29 in 11 balls.
The fans were entertaining in their responses on social media in reaction to Pakistan’s narrow win and barely avoiding a huge embarrassment.
Here are the posts:
