T20 World Cup: Faheem Ashraf's late blitz rescues Pakistan in Colombo thriller

After winning the toss and choosing to bowl, Pakistan produced a disciplined display to dismiss the Netherlands for 147 in 19.5 overs.

Dutch captain Scott Edwards led from the front with 37, while Bas de Leede added a valuable 30 during a steady middle phase. Salman Mirza was Pakistan's most effective bowler with figures of three for 24, while Saim Ayub, Abrar Ahmed and Mohammad Nawaz each claimed two wickets to keep the total within reach.

Pakistan's chase began confidently as Sahibzada Farhan struck a fluent 47 and Ayub contributed 24, putting the side in a strong early position. However, the innings turned sharply during the middle overs when Pakistan lost five wickets for just 16 runs.

Babar Azam struggled to build momentum during his 15 from 18 balls, and the Netherlands sensed a famous upset as Pakistan slipped to 114 for seven.

With the match hanging in the balance, all-rounder Faheem Ashraf delivered a decisive counterattack. Needing 29 from the final 12 deliveries, Ashraf launched Logan van Beek for three sixes and a four in the penultimate over, shifting the momentum firmly back towards Pakistan.

He finished unbeaten on 29 from only 11 balls as Pakistan reached 148 for seven in 19.3 overs to seal a tense victory.

The result gave Pakistan a winning start to their Group A campaign. They next faced the United States on 10 February at the SSC Ground in Colombo, with the match scheduled to begin at 15:30 local time. The Netherlands turned their attention to a clash against Namibia on the same day at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, starting at 07:30 local time.