Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha won the toss and opted to field first against the Netherlands as the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 got underway at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) in Colombo on Saturday.
Despite searingly hot conditions, Agha’s decision was influenced by what he described as “unusual” conditions for a Sri Lankan venue, pointing to a significant layer of grass on the surface.
“It looks like a fresh pitch and there's been rain for a few days, so if there's any moisture we want to use that,” Agha explained at the toss. “It's the first time I've seen that much grass in Sri Lanka”.
Looking to exploit the potential early movement, Pakistan named a seam-heavy attack featuring Shaheen Shah Afridi, newcomer Salman Mirza, and Faheem Ashraf.
Netherlands captain Scott Edwards admitted he would have also preferred to bowl first but remained optimistic about setting a target on what he termed a “very good batting wicket”.
“We're happy to be batting here,” Edwards said. “We've been in India and SL for a month and a half, used to the conditions. Plenty of all-rounders and options for bowling and batting”.
Bangladesh is not playing this World Cup as their demand to relocate their venues due to security concerns in India was rejected by the ICC.