In the opening match of the T20 World Cup, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha won the toss and elected to field first, a decision that paid off as the Pakistani bowlers delivered a disciplined performance to limit the Netherlands to a modest total.
Netherlands openers Michael Levitt and Max O’Dowd provided a steady start, adding 28 runs, before O’Dowd was dismissed for 5 runs by Salman Mirza. Levitt was then removed by Mohammad Nawaz after scoring 24 runs.
The third wicket fell when Ackermann was dismissed for 20 runs, followed by Bas de Leede, who top-scored with 30 runs before becoming Nawaz’s second victim. Mohammad Abrar claimed the fifth wicket, while Saim Ayub dismissed the sixth and seventh batters to tighten Pakistan’s grip on the innings.
Van der Merwe was the eighth batter to fall, caught by Salman Ali Agha off the bowling of Shaheen Afridi. In the final over, Salman Mirza picked up two more wickets, bowling out the Netherlands for 147 runs.
For Pakistan, Salman Mirza took three wickets, while Saim Ayub, Mohammad Nawaz, and Abrar Ahmed claimed two wickets each. Shaheen Afridi finished with one wicket.
The match is being played at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo. Speaking at a press conference, Salman Ali Agha confirmed that he will continue batting at number three and said no changes to the batting order are currently required.
Commenting on the government’s decision regarding the match against India, the Pakistan captain stated that the decision has eased additional pressure and the team will approach each match according to its planned strategy.
Pakistan entered the tournament in strong form, while the Netherlands, having not played a regular T20 international since June, are determined to prove their capabilities on the world stage.
