Paul van Meekeren believes the Netherlands cost themselves the game: Pakistan faced Netherlands in the opening match of the 2026 T20 World Cup. It was a last over thriller as the Men in Green defeated the Dutch in the final over with three balls to spare. Pakistan restricted Netherlands to just 147 runs. They were in good position while chasing the target.
From the 11th over the match swung in favor of the Dutch, from 98/2 to 114/7, with Pakistan losing 5 wickets in the space of 16 runs. However, Faheem Ashraf’s heroics in the 19th over helped Salman Ali Aga’s side win their first game. With 29 runs needed from 12 balls, Faheem Ashraf gave the charge to Logan van Beek.
Faheem Ashraf stands amidst Netherlands’ victory
The Pakistani all-rounder changed the course of the match by scoring 24 runs in Van Beek’s over and secured two points for the team with three wickets remaining. This victory came after the ongoing feud between India and Pakistan. If Pakistan had faltered against the Netherlands, it would have dealt a major blow to its chances of reaching the Super 8 stage.
After the match, Dutch fast bowler Paul van Meekeren highlighted his performance. He believes that they missed the chance to win the match as they deserved to win. “We deserved to win that game and potentially send Pakistan home after today, so yes it’s a shame, but it is what it is,” Van Meekeren said.
‘Obviously there are some people who are really disappointed’ – Paul van Meekeren
Paul van Meekeren said, “I mean, we’re a very close team, so obviously there are some guys who are really disappointed in the changing room, but we stand behind them, we support them all the way to change the situation in the next game, they don’t even have to change it, just to be the best and win the next game for us against Namibia.”
“I’m very proud of the players. I mean, I think we probably didn’t put as many runs on the board as we wanted to, but for Pakistan to fight back after a strong start with the bat, it shows the culture we’ve built in the team and the never-say-die attitude.”
Netherlands gifted this match to Pakistan
Paul van Meekeren concluded, “I want to be very clear, Pakistan did not win the game today; we lost the game against ourselves. We were the better team today, especially in the bowling department, and we should have deserved to win that game.” Paul van Meekeren took 2 wickets for 20 runs in his four over spell.
The Netherlands will face Namibia, and Pakistan will face the US, who played brilliantly against defending champions India on Saturday evening.
It will be really difficult for the Men in Green to get a win against the team against whom they lost in the Super Over during the group stage format in the last edition. The latter match will be interesting to watch.
Also read: ‘Ya Allah, drop ho jaaye’: Faheem Ashraf credits divine intervention for Pakistan’s jailbreak against Netherlands
