Faheem Ashraf’s star performance helped Pakistan win a nail-biter against the Netherlands in last over of the 10th edition of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 today.
Batting first Netherlands scored 147 against Pakistan at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo.
Live score: Pak vs NED
Pak – 148/7
Overs: 19.3/20
Target – 148
NED – 147/10
Overs: 19.5/20
Pak vs NED Toss
Pakistan won the toss and opted to field first against the Netherlands.
The first match of the highly anticipated T20 World Cup started at 10:30 am Pakistan time.
The tournament runs from 7 February to 8 March, with the Super 8s beginning on 22 February, the semi-finals scheduled on 4 and 5 March.
Salman will be making his mega-event debut as the captain of the green team. So far, he has captained Pakistan in 43 T20Is, winning 27 of those.
Who featured in major tournaments?
Among Pakistan players, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan and Usman Khan have featured in previous editions of the tournament.
Salman Ali Agha on World Cup in Sri Lanka
Salman Ali Agha said “We’ve come here to win the tournament, like every other team, and we expect our fans to back us as they always have. We’ll give our absolute best to win this World Cup.
“We’ve been playing really good cricket and haven’t lost a bilateral series since the Asia Cup. We’ve lost very few matches and the 3-0 clean sweep against Australia was a huge morale booster. We’re hoping to carry that momentum into the World Cup.
“Any team that qualifies for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is competitive. We’re not taking anything lightly; every team in our group is capable. Every player knows their role, the squad is well settled, and we hope to give our best in every game and win the tournament.
“We haven’t played the cricket we’re capable of in recent global events, but our focus is on playing the brand of cricket we’ve shown in recent times and bringing the trophy home.”
Pakistan squad
Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wk) and Usman Tariq
World Cup groups
Group A – India, Namibia, Netherlands, Pakistan and USA
Group B – Australia, Ireland, Oman, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe
Group C – England, Italy, Nepal, Scotland and West Indies
Group D – Afghanistan, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and UAE
