Pakistan flirt with disaster before edging past Netherlands on opening day

The 2009 champions flirted with disaster before surviving a self-inflicted heart-stopper against the Netherlands in their T20 World Cup 2026 opener in Colombo on Saturday, February 7.

Chasing a modest 148, Pakistan were cruising before a sudden cluster of wickets turned a routine pursuit into an improbable thriller. It eventually took a late-overs blitz from Faheem Ashraf to drag them over the line — by the narrowest of whiskers.

Luck, finally, smiled on Pakistan. Faheem was dropped on 7 off the second ball of the penultimate over, with 23 still required from 11 deliveries and only three wickets in hand. Max O’Dowd put down the chance off Logan van Beek, a moment that proved decisive. Given a reprieve, Faheem went into overdrive, hammering two sixes and a boundary to reduce the equation to five off the final over.

“We have to do it the hard way,” Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha admitted, summing up the chaos with wry honesty.

“Credit to Faheem. We knew they’d come hard. We held things well with the ball — 147 was a good total on this pitch. In the first 10 overs we batted well, then lost two wickets and pressure crept in. Once a batter gets set, they need to finish the game. We didn’t do that today. We want to change that.”

The win was vital in the context of Pakistan’s tournament campaign — and their looming threat to boycott the February 15 clash against India. A defeat on opening night would have severely dented their Super 8 prospects, especially with two points set to be forfeited and a heavy blow to net run rate.

Pakistan, but tidy

For much of the afternoon, Pakistan looked almost unfamiliar. They bowled with discipline, called cleanly, and patrolled the boundary without a hint of chaos. Nine catches were taken — including an early ‘Catch of the Tournament’ contender from Babar Azam — as the Netherlands were restricted to 147.

At 98 for 2 in the 11th over, Pakistan appeared to be coasting towards an early finish.

But this is Pakistan, and drama is rarely optional.

After a brisk start from Saim Ayub, the chase unravelled. Between overs 10 and 15, Pakistan scored just 21 runs, lost three wickets, and went 29 balls without a boundary. What had been a formality became a slow-burn crisis.

The slide began with the dismissal of Sahibzada Farhan, who had looked set to settle the contest with a composed 31 off 47 balls. Paul van Meekeren’s well-directed bouncer ended his stay, but even then the alarm bells were muted.

• They rang soon after.
• Babar stalls, pressure mounts

Babar Azam, left out of Pakistan’s T20I plans last year, struggled for momentum through the middle overs, making 14 from 18 balls. On air, Wasim Akram — long familiar with Pakistan’s habit of inviting trouble — flagged the danger, questioning the tempo of Babar’s 45-run stand with Farhan.

Babar fell in the 13th over, unable to kick on, and Pakistan’s grip loosened rapidly.

At 100 for 5, the pressure intensified as van Meekeren and Roelof van der Merwe tightened the screws. The dismissals of Shadab Khan (8) and Mohammad Nawaz (6) in quick succession pushed Pakistan to the brink.

Just when a second straight opening-match defeat at a T20 World Cup seemed inevitable, Faheem produced a timely rescue act.

Pakistan clinical in the field

Earlier, Pakistan had set the platform with an unusually assured performance in the field. Salman Mirza impressed after replacing Naseem Shah, finishing with three wickets.

While Shadab went wicketless despite conceding just 26 runs, Nawaz (2 for 38), Abrar Ahmed (2 for 23) and Saim Ayub (2 for 7) ensured the Netherlands never fully capitalised on their start.

The standout moment came in the fourth over. Dutch opener Michael Levitt, in full flow, launched Mohammad Nawaz towards long-off. Babar Azam sprinted back, plucked the ball inches from the rope, and — realising his momentum would carry him over — flicked it back into play. Shaheen Afridi completed the relay to dismiss a stunned Levitt for 24. Babar later added a sharp low catch to remove Bas de Leede for 30.

Backed by Abrar’s middle-overs squeeze and Saim’s late double strike, Pakistan’s fielding remained uncharacteristically airtight. Nine catches were taken in all, including safe efforts from Usman Khan and Salman Ali Agha, as the Netherlands lost their final seven wickets for just 42 runs after a promising start.