There were no exuberant celebrations or angry gestures when Faheem Ashraf sealed a win that calmed Pakistan’s dugout with three deliveries remaining in the final over. Instead, like his teammates in the dugout, he breathed a sigh of relief after pulling off a rescue act against the Netherlands as the T20 World Cup got off to a dramatic start at the Sinhalese Sports Club. With the stands thrown open for free, fans turned up in numbers to create an atmosphere that was fitting of the contest, as Pakistan appeared to do the unthinkable, which would have pushed them to the brink if they had fallen short.
Having not been in the contest for a majority of the match, hope fluttered among the Dutch and their supporters at the stands, who were emptying the beer cans as Pakistan crumbled spectacularly in what was a routine chase of 148. At 98/2 after 11 overs, the result appeared a foregone conclusion before Pakistan chose to self-destruct in ways only they seem to find more often than not.
In the next 10 deliveries, the game turned on its head as Pakistan were reduced to 100/5 with Babar Azam’s dismissal – holed out in the deep when he was needed to bat through the overs – throwing up serious questions about their ability to conjure these conditions. It got worse when Shadab Khan fell as their seventh wicket, which left Faheem in the company of Shaheen Shah Afridi to take them home.
Netherlands’ Roelof van der Merwe celebrates the wicket of Pakistan’s Babar Azam, left, during the T20 World Cup cricket match between Netherlands and Pakistan in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)
The asking rate, which was 5.55 before the collapse began, had now climbed to 14.50 when Faheem took the game into his own hands, with a bit of luck. Had Max O’Dowd pouched the skier offered by the left-hander off the second ball of the 19th over, like seamer Paul van Meekren – whose strikes started the slide – it may have been curtains for Pakistan.
But Faheem definitely had other ideas. In the team, as a bowling all-rounder, he wasn’t called to bowl, but showed what he can contribute with the bat. Making full use of the life handed to him, he hit two more sixes and a boundary before sealing the win in the final over to the relief of the frontline batsmen.
Mirza shines
Earlier, Pakistan showed they have a template to fall back on in the tournament. In these slow conditions of Sri Lanka, where they will be based throughout the event, Pakistan have arrived with a spin attack that could play a pivotal role in their march with the pace pack around to provide the support cast. Sterner tests await, but there is reason to be optimistic for Pakistan.
With their match against India still not certain to go ahead, the three matches against the Associates – the Netherlands, USA and Namibia – are nothing but a must-win for Pakistan. All three teams on a given day are all capable of causing an upset, and Pakistan has suffered a stinging defeat at the hands of the USA in the previous edition. So ahead of the game, Agha had repeatedly mentioned the need to bring their A-game straightaway.
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Unlike the previous couple of ICC tournaments where Pakistan appeared far off the chasing pack, in the months leading up to the T20 World Cup under head coach Mike Hesson and Agha, they have been quietly building a foundation. For a change, they had the long-sightedness to build a team that would suit these conditions. Players, mostly on reputation, were let go, with Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf all deemed surplus. Over a few bilateral series and the Asia Cup, they went about finding a core. Still, doubts had remained. And this win will give their think-tank the stimulus that is needed in big-ticket tournaments.
Pakistan’s Salman Mirza bowls a delivery during the T20 World Cup cricket match between Netherlands and Pakistan in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)
Setting up the win were the spin trio of Mohammad Nawaz, Abrar Ahmed and Saim Ayub, whose variety was too good for the Netherlands to overcome. In what seemed to be a tactic to keep for later stages and not expose his mystery early in the tournament, Pakistan benched their new spin sensation, Usman Tariq and instead brought in leg-spinner Shadab Khan, but still had an economical return in his four overs. And once the spinners made the inroads, the 32-year-old left-arm pacer Salman Mirza provided the finishing touches after making the first blow.
Choosing to bowl first, Pakistan seamers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mirza were wayward at the start, prompting Agha to summon left-arm spinner Nawaz in the powerplay. But despite losing both their openers in the powerplay, the Dutch were motoring along at a run-rate of 8 as a total in excess of 160 looked in sight. It even caused a bit of flutter in Pakistan ranks with Agha, Afridi and Shadab involved in an animated discussion when Michael Levitt brought out a disdainful sweep off Nawaz to send the ball out of the park. But every time the Netherlands appeared to get a grip on the game, Pakistan spinners hit back with timely strikes.
Between their top five, four of the Netherlands batsmen got starts, but the 37 by skipper Scott Edwards remained their best score. And it was his dismissal that led to a collapse. Choosing to attack Abrar, another mystery spinner in their ranks, who bowled Colin Ackerman off a carrom ball earlier, Edwards went for an expansive sweep, but picked the fielder at deep square-leg. That wicket allowed Agha to bring in Saim, who took two wickets in the space of three deliveries that allowed Pakistan to take full grip of the game before their batsmen threatened to undo it all.
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Brief Scores: Netherlands 147 all out in 19.5 overs (Scott Edwards 37, Bas de Leede 30; Salman Mirza 3/24) lost to Pakistan 148/7 in 19.3 overs (Sahibzada Farhan 47, Faheem Ashraf 29; Paul van Meekeren 2/20) by three wickets.
