Faheem Ashraf’s heroics lead Pakistan to thrilling win against Netherlands: Pakistan won its first match against Netherlands by three wickets. The Men in Green will face the Dutch in the opening game of the 2026 T20 World Cup at the Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo. They achieved the target of 148 runs with three balls remaining.
After being invited to bat first, the Dutch started well, but kept losing wickets in the middle overs as the Pakistani bowlers were excellent, restricting their opponents to just 147 runs. Set to chase, the Men in Green got a good start with Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan scoring at a good pace. Pakistan faltered as soon as they were out after scoring 47 runs.
Pakistan’s batting collapse continues
Salman Ali Aga’s team was reduced to 114/7 from 98/3. The Dutch were eyeing another World Cup upset, needing 29 runs from the last two. However, Faheem Ashraf came between the Dutch’s victory and Pakistan’s defeat. The game ended in a thriller as Faheem Ashraf converted his chance against Logan van Beek in the 19th over.
The Pakistani all-rounder gave 24 runs to the Dutch pacer in the over. However, there was a nervous moment for Faheem Ashraf as he was caught at long-on by Max O’Dowd on the second ball of the same over. While speaking in the post-match talk show after the match, Faheem expressed his stress and was praying to God to please drop the catch.
Faheem Ashraf thanked God
Faheem Ashraf said, “We have been playing this brand of cricket for the last one year. The heart rate keeps going up and down, it has happened many times before, we are used to it. Shaheen and I were talking about saving wickets, knew that we can fall anything in an over. When the ball is in the air, you just want the ball to fall. We try to end the game as quickly as possible. But you have to maintain your composure in these situations.”
On his dropped catch, Faheem Ashraf said, “My heart rate was fine because I have been in this situation many times and this is not the first time that I have been in this kind of situation. I just told myself to go out there and do what I know. Every part of my body was praying, ‘Ya Allah, drop ho jaye, Ya Allah, drop ho jaye,’ (Please God, please God drop the catch) and then it happened.”
Pakistan needs to work on the batting department
It is possible that Pakistan may have gone ahead in its first game itself. However, there are places where they need to work, especially in their batting department, as they have lost 5 wickets in the span of 16 runs.
They have to play against their arch rivals India in the upcoming match; However, there are still uncertainties regarding this match, as the Government of Pakistan has announced that they will boycott the match against their neighbours. Now all eyes are on Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as they have to hold a meeting with their national government.
Also read: ‘T20 World Cup starts with an upset’: Fans react, Pakistan snatches victory from the jaws of defeat against Netherlands
