Pakistan secured a narrow three-wicket victory over the Netherlands in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup opener held at the Singhalese Cricket Club in Colombo. The Netherlands were limited to 147 all out, thanks to Pakistan’s strong fielding efforts. Captain Scott Edwards led the Dutch side with 37 runs off 29 balls.
Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan provided a solid start for Pakistan during the chase with aggressive batting. However, the Netherlands fought back, taking three crucial wickets in quick succession during the middle overs. The game’s momentum shifted towards the Netherlands as Pakistan lost five wickets for just 16 runs, making the final overs tense.
Faheem Ashraf’s remarkable performance, including three sixes in the penultimate over, turned the game back in Pakistan’s favor. With just five runs needed from the final over, Ashraf sealed the victory for Pakistan with a boundary, securing the win with three balls to spare.
In a statistical overview of the match, the Netherlands achieved their highest score against Pakistan with 147 runs, surpassing their previous best of 93 in the 2009 World Cup. Bas de Leede’s 30 runs became the highest individual score by a Netherlands batsman against Pakistan. Notably, Sahibzada Farhan’s 47 runs made him the second Pakistani batter to score 47 or more runs against the Netherlands.
Pakistan’s next match will be against the USA, while the Netherlands will face Namibia on February 10.
