Pakistan vs Netherlands Live Cricket Score, T20 World Cup 2026: NED set PAK target of 148 in tournament opener
Pakistan vs Netherlands T20 World Cup 2026 Live Cricket Score Updates: After a strong start, the Netherlands could only manage 147 runs batting first against Pakistan in their T20 World Cup opening game on Saturday. The Netherlands had smashed their way to 50/2 in the powerplay, but Pakistan were exceptional in the field all game, dismissing nine of the 10 Dutch batters with catches. The most jawdropping one was the relay catch from Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi to send home in-form batter Michael Levitt.
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Pakistan have won the toss and asked the Netherlands to bat first on a pitch that has plenty of grass cover. Pakistan are already in a must-win stage as they begin their T20 World Cup campaign against the Netherlands on Saturday, which is also the curtain raiser for the entire tournament, set to be held jointly in India and Sri Lanka. The Salman Agha-led team, who have been instructed by their government to boycott the India match on February 15th, will have to win all their remaining group stage encounters.
Venkata Krishna B is on the ground in Colombo brining us the latest updates
The others in the group are Netherlands, USA and Namibia, teams which Pakistan are expected to beat, especially after drubbing a depleted Australia squad 3-0 in the lead-up to the World Cup. But in the recent past, Pakistan have had the tendency to slip on the proverbial banana skin with the Men in Green having had their campaigns cut short prematurely.
Like in the last T20 World Cup, Pakistan had shockingly lost to USA and then went down to India. This meant that even though they won their remaining 2 games vs Ireland and Canada, those losses played a major part in their exit from the group stage. Pakistan are also likely to face weather-related challenges in Colombo, where they are scheduled to play their group-stage matches which might add to their worries if they are going to forgo the India match.
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Sri Lanka Cricket have written to Pakistan Cricket Board to reconsider their decision to play against India. (PHOTO: ICC)
SLC writes to PCB to consider playing India, cite financial loss and past support extended
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) will incur losses while the country’s tourism industry will suffer if Pakistan sticks to its stand of not playing India in Colombo next Sunday. These financial implications were highlighted in a letter to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Bandula Dissanayake, Sri Lanka Cricket secretary, told The Indian Express.
Though the month-long tournament kick-starts at the Singhalese Sports Club here on Saturday with Pakistan taking on The Netherlands, it is the Pakistan government’s decision not to stop their team from playing against India that has emerged as the talking point in Sri Lanka.