&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "T20 World Cup 2026: Faheem's late cameo rescues Pakistan as former champions start on winning note")
Pakistan started their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign with a close three-wicket win against the Netherlands in Colombo on Saturday (Feb 7). Chasing 148, Pakistan were guided by a match-winning knock from Faheem Ashraf, who scored 29 not out from just 11 balls. He smashed three sixes and two fours, including 24 runs off Logan van Beek in the second-last over, to secure win for his team. Sahibzada Farhan also played a solid innings of 41 off 31 balls, while Saim Ayub contributed a quick 24 from 13 balls.
For the Netherlands, Aryan Dutt (2/33) and Paul van Meekeren (2/20) took two wickets each. Logan van Beek (1/46), Kyle Klein (1/23) and Roelof van der Merwe (1/13) claimed one wicket apiece.
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Earlier, after winning the toss, Pakistan chose to bowl. The Netherlands were bowled out for 147 in 19.5 overs. Captain Scott Edwards was the top scorer with 37 runs from 29 balls, including three fours and a six. Bas de Leede made 30, Michael Levitt scored 24 and Colin Ackermann contributed 20.
Pakistan’s bowling attack was led by Salman Mirza, who picked up three wickets for 24 runs. Saim Ayub, Abrar Ahmed and Mohammad Nawaz supported him well with two wickets each.
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In the chase, Pakistan got off to a steady start through Farhan and Ayub, but after Ayub’s dismissal by Dutt, regular wickets slowed their chase. The Netherlands bowlers kept the pressure on until the final overs, but Faheem’s late hitting in the second-last over sealed the victory.
With this win, Pakistan move up the points table and will look to carry this momentum into their upcoming matches in the T20 World Cup 2026.
