Match Overview

The first match of the t20 world cup 2026 was played between pakistan and the Netherlands.

Venue: Colombo, Sri Lanka

Pakistan won the match by 3 wickets.

The match went down to the final overs despite pakistan being under pressure.

The netherlands was close to pulling off a major upset.

A single dropped catch changed the result of the game.

🪙 Toss & First Innings

Pakistan won the toss and chose to bowl first.

The netherlands batted first.

The netherlands were all out for 147 runs in 19.5 overs.

Total was competitive on a tricky pitch.

Pakistan bowlers kept taking wickets at regular intervals.

🇳🇱 netherlands Batting Highlights

Scott Edwards was the top scorer.

He made 37 runs off 29 balls.

His innings included 3 fours and 1 six.

Other batters failed to convert starts into big scores.

The middle-order collapse prevented a bigger total.

🇵🇰 pakistan Bowling Highlights

Salman mirza took 3 wickets — best figures for Pakistan.

Mohammad Nawaz took 2 wickets.

Abrar ahmed picked up 2 wickets.

Sam Ayub claimed 2 wickets

Shaheen Afridi took 1 wicket

The bowling unit restricted the netherlands to under 150

🎯 pakistan Chase Situation

Target: 148 runs

Pakistan struggled during the chase.

The team lost wickets at key moments.

Score pressure increased in the final overs.

Required 29 runs from the last 2 overs

Pakistan were 7 wickets down at that stage.

❌ Turning Point — Dropped Catch

Faheem Ashraf and shaheen Afridi were at the crease.

Faheem was Pakistan’s last major hope.

Netherlands’ Max O’Dowd dropped a simple catch of Faheem.

The catch dropped when Faheem had not scored much.

This mistake proved decisive.

🔥 Match-Winning Finish

After the lifeline, Faheem Ashraf attacked aggressively.

He scored 29 runs off 11 balls*

Hit 2 fours and 3 sixes.

Completely shifted momentum

Pakistan reached 148/7 in 19.3 overs.

🌟 Other pakistan Batting Contribution

Sahibzada Farhan top-scored with 47 off 31 balls.

He hit 4 fours and 2 sixes.

No other batter crossed 30 runs.

Lower-order support helped finish the chase.

✅ Result Impact

Pakistan secured an opening win.

The netherlands lost a near-winning match.

The dropped catch became the defining moment.

A close finish set a strong tone for the tournament opener.

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