The T20 World Cup 2026 started with a super exciting game between Pak vs Netherland. It really showed what the tournament would be like. On February 7, 2026, at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo, Pakistan played the Netherlands in the first match of Group A. Everyone thought Pakistan would win easily, but it turned into a close fight. 

Pakistan won by just 3 wickets with 3 balls left. This Pak vs Netherland game proved that T20 cricket can be full of surprises, where smaller teams like the Netherlands can make big teams sweat.

The Hype Before Pak vs Netherland

The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2025/26, hosted by India and Sri Lanka together, kicked off with lots of buzz. Pakistan, with captain Salman Agha in charge, came in as one of the top teams. They had stars like Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Shadab Khan ready to shine. The Netherlands, led by captain Scott Edwards, has gotten better in recent years. They’re known for playing without fear and sometimes beating stronger teams, like in past World Cups.

The Pak vs Netherland game was the first one, played under sunny skies at the famous SSC in Colombo. The pitch looked good for both batting and bowling, with a bit of help for fast bowlers early on and spin later. Pakistan won the toss and chose to bowl first. They thought about the dew in day games and trusted their strong bowlers. This set up a fun battle.

In the past, Pak vs Netherland games haven’t happened much, but Pakistan usually wins big. In T20Is, they’ve played a few times, and Pakistan comes out on top most often. But the Netherlands have been doing well lately in qualifiers, so people thought they might surprise everyone. On social media, fans were talking a lot, guessing it would be a game with lots of runs because of the short boundaries at SSC.

Netherlands’ Innings: A Solid Score Despite Losing Wickets

The Netherlands batted first and tried to set a good total on a fair pitch. Openers Michael Levitt and Max O’Dowd started strong, with Levitt hitting boundaries off Shaheen Shah Afridi. But Pakistan’s bowlers got wickets early. Salman Mirza made a difference with the new ball and got O’Dowd out for 5, caught by Usman Khan.

Levitt kept going hard, scoring 24 off 15 balls with 3 fours and a six, before Mohammad Nawaz got him with a smart delivery. At 31 for 2, the Netherlands needed to build. Bas de Leede and Colin Ackermann steadied things, with Ackermann making 20 off 14, including four boundaries. But Abrar Ahmed’s tricky spin got Ackermann out, bowled.

Captain Scott Edwards held the innings together with 37 off 29, hitting 3 fours and a six. He and de Leede, who made 30 off 25, got the score over 100. Then the middle order fell apart. Saim Ayub, who surprised everyone by bowling, took two quick wickets, Zach Lion-Cachet and Logan van Beek.

The lower order added a few runs, with Aryan Dutt’s 13 off 8 helping out, but Salman Mirza came back and finished strong with 3 for 24. The Netherlands got all out for 147 in 19.5 overs. It was an okay total, but they could defend it with their bowlers.

Here’s the batting scorecard for the Netherlands:

Fall of Wickets: 1/28 (O’Dowd, 3.1), 2/31 (Levitt, 4.2), 3/65 (Ackermann, 7.6), 4/105 (de Leede, 12.4), 5/127 (Edwards, 15.6), 6/128 (van Beek, 16.2), 7/129 (Lion-Cachet, 16.4), 8/139 (van der Merwe, 18.4), 9/147 (Dutt, 19.4), 10/147 (van Meekeren, 19.5).

Pakistan bowled well, with Salman Mirza leading. Here’s their bowling table:

Pakistan’s Chase from Easy Start to Total Drama

Pakistan needed 148 to win, and they started fast. Openers Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub hit lots of boundaries. Ayub made 24 off 13 with 4 fours and a six. But Aryan Dutt got Ayub out, caught by van der Merwe.

Captain Salman Agha came in and added 26 runs quickly with Farhan before Dutt got him too. At 53 for 2, Pakistan looked good. Farhan kept attacking, scoring 47 off 31 with 4 fours and 2 sixes, getting them to 98 for 2. But when he got out, things fell apart. Usman Khan got out for zero, and Babar Azam made only 15 off 18 before getting caught.

All of a sudden, Pakistan was 100 for 5, and the middle order was struggling. Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan couldn’t help much, both were out cheaply. At 114 for 7 in the 16th over, the Netherlands thought they could win.

Then Faheem Ashraf stepped up. He smashed 29 not out off 11 balls with 2 fours and 3 sixes, changing the game. With Shaheen Afridi’s 5 not out, Faheem hit a four off Bas de Leede in the last over to win. This big finish got him Player of the Match.

Pakistan’s batting scorecard:

Fall of Wickets: 1/27 (Ayub, 2.4), 2/53 (Agha, 4.5), 3/98 (Farhan, 11.1), 4/98 (Khan, 11.3), 5/100 (Azam, 12.4), 6/114 (Nawaz, 15.6), 7/114 (Khan, 16.1).

Netherlands’ bowling:

Big Moments and What Happened in Pak vs Netherland

The Pak vs Netherland game had lots of ups and downs. Early, the Netherlands scored 50 for 2 in the power play, which was a good start. But Pakistan’s spinners, Abrar with 2 for 23 and Nawaz with 2 for 38, kept things tight in the middle.

Pakistan’s chase started with a bang, getting to 53 for 1 in 5 overs. Farhan and Ayub took advantage of loose balls, but Dutt’s two wickets for 33 changed things. The drop from 98 for 2 to 114 for 7 showed Pakistan’s weak spot in the middle. Babar’s slow knock got some flak because he didn’t speed up.

Faheem’s quick runs saved the day. His three sixes off van Beek and Klein showed great hitting when it mattered. For the Netherlands, van Meekeren’s 2 for 20 was awesome and almost won it for them.

On the plan side, Pakistan using Saim Ayub to bowl worked out, getting key outs. The Netherlands fielded well, with van der Merwe’s catches standing out. In the end, Pakistan’s extra players won, but it showed they need to fix things like middle-order play.

Who Shined and Who Struggled

Faheem Ashraf was the star; his 29 not out turned a loss into a win. That strike rate of 263.63 was huge. Saim Ayub did great with 24 runs and 2 for 7 wickets, making him the MVP on some sites. Salman Mirza’s 3 for 24 helped keep the score down.

For the Netherlands, Scott Edwards’ 37 kept them going. Paul van Meekeren bowled tight and almost pulled off the upset. Aryan Dutt’s wickets messed up Pakistan’s plans.

On the flip side, Babar Azam only got 15 off 18, which wasn’t enough. Shadab Khan didn’t do much with bat or ball.

What It Means for the World Cup

This Pak vs Netherland win gives Pakistan 2 points, and some good vibes, but the close game says don’t get too comfy. They’ll play harder teams like India and Australia in Group A. For the Netherlands, playing so well boosts their spirit. If they beat easier teams, they might go further.

The game shows how T20 is changing, with smaller teams like the Netherlands holding their own. It makes the whole World Cup more fun.

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Final Words!

The Pak vs Netherland first game was like a wild ride, full of T20 fun. Pakistan got away with a close win, but it shows that anything can happen. The Netherlands played awesome and deserves props. As the World Cup goes on, there’ll be more excitement.