Colombo, Sri Lanka — Web Desk: Pakistan made a winning start to the ICC T20 World Cup by defeating the Netherlands by three wickets in a thrilling opening match at the Sinhalese Sports Complex in Colombo.
Chasing a target of 148, Pakistan reached 148/7 in 19.3 overs, thanks to a sensational late cameo by Faheem Ashraf, who smashed 29 runs off just 11 balls to rescue his team from collapse. Shaheen Afridi remained unbeaten on 5 runs.
Earlier, Pakistan’s top-order contributions included Sahibzada Farhan (47), Saim Ayub (24), Babar Azam (15), Salman Ali Agha (12), and Shadab Khan (8), while Mohammad Nawaz and Usman Khan were dismissed without scoring.
For the Netherlands, Aryan Dutt and Paul van Meekeren took two wickets each, while Vander Merwe, Logan van Beek, and Kyle Klein claimed one wicket each.
The Netherlands were bowled out for 147 in 19.5 overs, with Scott Edwards (37), Bas de Leede (30), Michael Levitt (24), and Colin Ackermann (20) contributing with the bat.
Pakistan’s bowling attack was led by Salman Mirza with three wickets, while Mohammad Nawaz, Saim Ayub, and Abrar Ahmed took two wickets each, and Shaheen Afridi claimed one wicket.
Pakistan won the toss and opted to field first, setting the stage for a dramatic chase in their tournament opener.
