T20 World Cup opener: Pakistan need 148 to win
February 7, 2026 12:56 pm
Pakistan have restricted Netherlands to a score of 147 after winning the toss and deciding to bowl first.
The Dutch had a solid start and threatened to go past even 160-170 but Pakistani spinners took wickets in regular interval and stopped the flow of runs.
Pakistan came into this tournament on the back of a morale-boosting 3-0 whitewash over a second-string Australia at home. On the other hand, Netherlands qualified after finishing on top of the European Qualifiers last year.
The Dutch are known to be giant killers on their day and Pakistan will be wary of their opponents. Led by Scott Edwards, Netherlands have a mix of youth and experience. With spin-friendly conditions on offer, both teams are expected to field spin-heavy playing XIs.
Pakistan vs Netherlands playing XIs
Pakistan: Salman Agha, Mohammad Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan, Faheem Ashraf, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Afridi, Babar Azam, Abrar Ahmed, Usman Khan, Salman Mirza, Shadab Khan
Netherlands: Scott Edwards, Noah Croes, Max O’Dowd, Logan van Beek, Michael Levitt, Roelof van der Merwe, Colin Ackermann, Aryan Dutt, Zach Lion-Cachet, Kyle Klein, Bas de Leede
