Pakistan defeated the Netherlands by 3 wickets in their opening match of the T20 World Cup in Colombo on Saturday.
Chasing a target of 147, Pakistan required 29 runs from the final two overs with only three wickets remaining. All-rounder Faheem Ashraf secured the victory, scoring an unbeaten 29 off 11 balls to earn the Player of the Match award.
In the critical 19th over bowled by Logan van Beek, Faheem struck three sixes and a four to take 24 runs. He was dropped on the second ball of the over by Max O'Dowd. Pakistan chased down the remaining 5 runs in the final over with three balls to spare.
T20 World Cup Opener: Pakistan opt to bowl first vs Netherlands
Earlier in the innings, Pakistan appeared comfortable at 98 for 2, needing 50 runs from 9 overs. However, the team suffered a collapse, losing five wickets for just 16 runs to fall to 114 for 7.
Opener Sahibzada Farhan scored 47, while Saim Ayub added 24. Captain Babar Azam scored 15 off 18 balls, while Usman Khan was out for a duck.
Batting first, the Netherlands reached 100 runs in 12.1 overs with seven wickets in hand. However, Pakistan's bowlers restricted them in the final five overs, where the Dutch lost six wickets for 26 runs to finish at 147 all out.
Pakistan's fielding was a highlight, with the team taking a total of nine catches. This included a relay catch on the boundary by Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi to dismiss Michael Levitt.
Pakistan will face the United States in their next Group A match on February 10
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