Faheem Ashraf smashed an unbeaten 29 off 11 balls as Pakistan scrambled past the Netherlands by three wickets to avoid a massive shock in the curtain-raiser of the T20 World Cup in Colombo on Saturday.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Pakistan were made to sweat as the Netherlands took a flurry of late wickets to leave them needing 29 off the last two overs with only three wickets in hand at the Sinhalese Sports Club ground.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Faheem then hit 24, including three sixes, off a 19th over that also saw him dropped in the deep by Max O'Dowd and then completed the chase with three balls to spare.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"We had to do it the hard way," admitted Pakistan captain Salman Agha.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"We did well with the bat. We batted well earlier on but then in T20 cricket a few bad overs can change the complexion. All credit to Faheem," he added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"Happy with our bowling. We did a good job. A target of 148 we would take that any day on this kind of surface. It was a good bowling performance."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Pakistan had begun well, racing to 61 for two after the six-over power play.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Sahibzada Farhan looked in prime touch, cracking 47 off 31, but his exit swung the pendulum the Dutch way.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Right-arm quick Paul van Meekeren produced a double-wicket maiden to turn the screws.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
When the unconvincing Babar Azam perished in the next over for a scratchy 15, Pakistan were in trouble having lost three wickets for two runs in the space of 10 deliveries.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
- Wobbling chase -<\/p>\r\n\r\n
With the chase wobbling, Faheem stitched a priceless unbroken 34-run stand for the eighth wicket with Shaheen Shah Afridi to see Pakistan home.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The 2009 champions can ill-afford a defeat in the group stage, having already conceded points against India following a government enforced forfeiture.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Earlier, the Netherlands showed plenty of flair after being put in.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Roared on by around 200 travelling fans, they were in a good position at 127-4 with four overs to go, but Pakistan applied the brakes with the slow men sharing six wickets between them.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"We weren't at our best in all three departments today," said Netherlands captain Scott Edwards.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"Credit to the boys to give us a chance at the back end. Obviously small moments can be crucial," he added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Edwards anchored the innings with a polished 37 off 29 balls, but perished when he tried to take the aerial route against leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Part-time spinner Saim Ayub then struck twice in the 17th over before left-arm quick Salman Mirza's three-wicket burst dismissed the Dutch with one ball to spare.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Pakistan conceded just 20 runs in the final four overs backed up by a razor-sharp performance in the field with several outstanding catches in the deep.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"We just kept losing wickets at important times rather than building partnerships. We were thinking 160 would be a good total," said Edwards.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Pakistan can ill-afford any slip-ups in the group stage after saying they will not play against India on February 15 on government instructions and forfeiting the points in Group A.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Pakistan will play all their matches in Sri Lanka in the 20-team tournament co-hosted by Sri Lanka and defending champions India.<\/p>\r\n", "image": "https:\/\/img.cricketnmore.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/PAK-NEDS-T20-WC-20261.jpeg", "alt_img": "Pakistan vs Netherlands ICC T20 World Cup 2026", "alt_title": "Faheem Ashraf\u2019s Late Blitz Powers Pakistan to Narrow Win Over Netherlands in T20 World Cup Opener", "image1": null, "video": null, "seo_title": "Faheem Ashraf\u2019s Late Blitz Powers Pakistan to Narrow Win Over Netherlands in T20 World Cup Opener On Cricketnmore", "seo_desc": "Faheem Ashraf hammered an unbeaten 29 off 11 balls as Pakistan edged past the Netherlands by three wickets in a tense T20 World Cup opener in Colombo on Saturday.", "seo_keywords": "ICC T20 World Cup 2026, Pakistan Vs Netherlands, Faheem Ashraf", "tag": null, "tagging": "ICC T20 World Cup 2026,Pakistan Vs Netherlands,Faheem Ashraf,", "status": "1", "img_rpt": "0", "google": "1", "standout": "0", "edapps": "0", "pulse": "0", "no_index": "0", "feed": "0", "fixture": null, "slug": "faheem-ashrafs-late-blitz-powers-pakistan-to-narrow-win-over-netherlands-in-t20-world-cup-opener", "user_id": "0", "read_count": "1", "ians_date": null, "ians_time": null, "server_time": null, "trash": "0", "view_count": "566", "page_break": "0", "instant_articles": "1", "auto_link": "1", "created": "2026-02-07 15:19:03", "updated": "2026-02-07 15:20:57", "img_from": "Image Source: Google", "img_source": null, "schedule_publish": null, "news_keywords": "ICC T20 World Cup 2026, Pakistan Vs Netherlands, Faheem Ashraf", "livescore_text": null, "livescore_link": null, "btn_text": null, "resend_feed": "0", "google_feed": "0", "read_more": "1", "posted_by": "19", "jio_date": "2026-02-07 15:19:03", "scheduled": "0", "news_now": "1", "breaking_news": "1", "google_date": null, "featured": "0", "pred_match_id": "Select", "article_content_type": null, "england_cricket": "0", "link": "https:\/\/www.cricketnmore.com\/cricket-news\/faheem-ashrafs-late-blitz-powers-pakistan-to-narrow-win-over-netherlands-in-t20-world-cup-opener-187726" }