07 February,2026 03:51 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Faheem Ashraf (Pic: X/@ICC)
The opening match of the T20 World Cup 2026 ended in Pakistan's favour. The "Green Shirts" defeated the Netherlands by three wickets at the Sinhalese Sports Club Cricket Ground in Sri Lanka.
Having put to bat first, the Netherlands was bowled out for 147 runs in 19.5 overs. Opening the innings, Michael Levitt scored 25 runs in 15 balls, with the help of three boundaries and a maximum. Fellow opening batsman Max O'Dowd smashed five runs in seven balls, including a boundary.
Bas de Leede accumulated 30 runs off 25 deliveries, which was laced with four boundaries. Colin Ackermann registered 20 runs after facing 14 balls and also smashed four boundaries. Skipper Scott Edwards garnered 37 runs in his knock of 29 balls, which also included three boundaries and a maximum. Later, Aryan Dutt managed to score 13 runs off eight balls, including two boundaries.
Pakistan's Salman Mirza claimed three wickets for 24 runs in 3.5 overs. Mohammad Nawaz, Abrar Ahmed and Saim Ayub registered two wickets each to their names. Premier pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi managed to pick up one wicket.
While chasing a target of 148 runs, Pakistan scored 148 runs for the loss of seven wickets in 19.3 overs. Opening batsman Sahibzada Farhan played a knock of 47 runs off 31 deliveries, including four boundaries and two maximums. On the other hand, Saim returned to the pavilion after scoring 24 runs in 13 balls, with the help of four boundaries and a maximum.
Skipper Salman Ali Agha was dismissed for 12 runs. His eight-ball knock included three boundaries. Premier batsman Babar Azam departed after scoring 15 runs in 18 balls, including a boundary. Later, Faheem Ashraf delivered an unbeaten knock of 29 runs off 11 balls. His knock also included two boundaries and three maximums.
Netherlands' Aryan Dutt and Paul van Meekeren returned with two wickets each. Logan van Beek, Kyle Klein, and Roelof van der Merwe also bagged one wicket each.
With this, the "Green Shirts" are enjoying the top spot in their group A with a net run rate of +0.240. They will now lock horns against the United States of America (USA) on February 10 at the same venue.
