T20 World Cup 2026: How Did Netherlands Almost Hand a Defeat to Pakistan in Opener?

Pakistan secured a thrilling 3-wicket win over the Netherlands in the T20 World Cup 2026 opener. Despite a strong Dutch bowling effort that triggered a collapse, Farhan Asraf’s unbeaten 29 off 11 balls guided Pakistan to chase 149 in the final over.

The Netherlands suffered a heartbreaking three-wicket defeat to Pakistan in the T20 World Cup 2026 opener at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The Netherlands and Pakistan kicked off the 10th edition of the marquee event in Sri Lanka, which is a co-host alongside India.

And, Pakistan survived a late scare that almost handed the first victory of the tournament to the Netherlands. After posting a respectable total of 148/7 in 20 overs, the Dutch bowling attack failed to defend it as the Men in Green chased down the 149-run target, thanks to Farhan Asraf’s quickfire unbeaten 29 off 11 balls, pulling the team from the jaws of defeat.

Paul van Meekeren led the Netherlands bowling attack with figures of 2/20 at an economy rate of 5.00 in his spell of four overs. Aryan Dutt also picked two wickets and conceded 33 runs at an economy rate of 8.20 in 4 overs. While Logan van Beek (1/46), Roelof van der Merwe (1/13), and Kyle Klein (1/23) picked a wicket each.

However, a collective bowling effort did not prove enough as Pakistan held their nerve in the final overs.

Netherlands Trigger a Collapse in Pakistan’s Batting

Chasing a 149-run target, Opener Saim Ayub gave Pakistan a quick start to their innings, racing the team to 27/0 in 2.3 overs before he was dismissed for 24. Thereafter, Sahibzada Farhan was joined by skipper Salman Ali Agha, whose stay at the crease was ended after he was dismissed for 12 at 53/2.

After Salman’s dismissal, Babar Azam joined Farhan at the crease to carry on Pakistan’s run chase. The duo was hoping to form a good partnership without further fall of wickets before Sahibzada Farhan was removed for 47 at 98/3. Thereafter, Pakistan’s scare began to intensify as wickets fell at regular intervals.

After Farhan’s dismissal, Pakistan collapsed to 114/7 in 16.1 overs, with dismissals of Usman Khan (0), Babar Azam (15), Mohammad Nawaz (6), and Shadab Khan (8), losing four wickets for 16 runs, leaving the Men in Green wobbling on the edge of the defeat and giving the Netherlands a genuine chance at a historic upset. Paul van Meekeren, Logan van Beek, Roelof van der Merwe, and Kyle Kein were instrumental in triggering Pakistan’s batting collapse.

However, the Netherlands chances of clinching a historic upset in the history of the T20 World Cup were dashed after Logan van Beek was smashed for 24 runs, including three sixes by Farhan Ashraf, in the penultimate over before Bas de Leede conceded a boundary in the final over. Farhan’s late blitz guided Pakistan to a thrilling three-wicket win with just two balls to spare, leaving the Dutch agonizingly close to a famous victory.

‘Pakistan Just Got Out of Jail’

Pakistan’s thrilling victory over the Netherlands in the T20 World Cup opener, despite a dramatic collapse in the middle and lower order, sparked reactions among fans and cricket enthusiasts on social media, especially X (formerly Twitter).

Taking to their X handles (formerly Twitter), Fans and cricket enthusiasts described Pakistan’s victory as ‘narrowly escaping defeat’, criticized the middle order for their failure to step up under pressure, and lauded the Netherlands for almost clinching an upset that would have made it one of the biggest shocks in T20 World Cup history.

The defeat would have been more than embarrassing for Pakistan, as the Men in Green have boycotted the Team India clash, which will take place on February 15 at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif confirmed that the Salman Ali Agha-led side would take the field against Team India as an act of solidarity with Bangladesh, who were removed from the tournament after refusing to play their group-stage matches in India due to ‘security concerns’ and were replaced by Scotland.

With a week left for the marquee fixture of the tournament, uncertainty looms over Pakistan’s approach and morale ahead of the much-anticipated clash against India.