NPN

Pakistan Edges Netherlands in T20 World Cup Opener: The 2026 T20 World Cup started today, and Pakistan won the first match against the Netherlands in a thrilling manner. Faheem Ashraf's brilliant batting in this match that went on till the last over gave Pakistan victory. A catch by the Netherlands in the 19th over was a major factor in Pakistan's victory. Pakistan has started its World Cup campaign with this victory. The 2026 T20 World Cup has started today. There are three matches on the first day, and in the first match, Pakistan and the Netherlands faced each other. They managed to win this match, which was very interesting until the last over. On the other hand, the Netherlands, who lost an easy catch in the 19th over, were deprived of a thrilling victory. Batting first in this match, the Netherlands scored 147 runs. Chasing this target, Pakistan was on the verge of defeat in the 18th over. But in the 19th over, Faheem Ashraf hit three sixes and a four to ensure the team's victory. Ashraf also got his life in the same over. As a result, Pakistan won the match in the 20th over and started the campaign with a victory. Netherlands scored 147 runs Batting first, the Netherlands were all out for 147 runs in 19.5 overs. For the team, opener Michael Levitt scored 24 runs and captain Scott Edwards scored 37 runs to lay a solid foundation for the team. However, Pakistani bowler Salman Mirza (3/24) curbed the Netherlands' run rate with a brilliant spell. For Pakistan, Abrar Ahmed, Sam Ayub and Mohammad Nawaz took two wickets each to prevent the Netherlands from posting a big score. The Dutch team lost 6 wickets to score the last 20 runs, which led to a small run drop for the team. Pakistan won in the last over Chasing a target of 148 runs, Pakistan found itself in trouble from the beginning. The Dutch bowlers took wickets of the Pakistani team at regular intervals, making it difficult for the Pakistani team to chase 147 runs. Experienced Babar Azam (15) and Sam Ayub (24) were dismissed early. Only Sahibzada Farhan (47) played a fighting innings. As a result, the Pakistani team needed 29 runs from the last 12 balls. Faheem Ashraf (29 off 11 balls) hit three sixes and a four in the 19th over, conceding 24 runs. Pakistan reached the target in 19.3 overs, adding the remaining runs in the final over.