In the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, match number 1 featured a face-off between the teams of Pakistan and the Netherlands. Held on February 7th (Saturday) at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo, the Pakistani team emerged victorious with a thrilling 3-wicket win. Pakistan was tasked with chasing a target of 148 runs and achieved it on the third ball of the final over.
At one point, Pakistan appeared to be in dire straits. With 29 runs needed from the final two overs, the Netherlands was on the brink of causing an upset in the tournament's opening match. However, the tide turned dramatically. The nineteenth over of Pakistan's innings, bowled by the fast bowler Logan van Beek, was game-changing, yielding a striking 24 runs, all courtesy of Faheem Ashraf.
Faheem Ashraf launched a massive six on the first ball, only for a dramatic twist to ensue when Max O'Dowd dropped a crucial catch in the long-on area on the next delivery. It was a golden chance to win the match, but the ball slipped through his hands, failed to be caught even on rebound, and hit the ground, allowing the batsmen to run two more.
The ball initially struck Max O'Dowd's hands, lightly bumped his head, and then fell to the ground, during which Faheem completed 2 runs. Following this life-saving drop, Faheem hit another magnificent six on the third ball of the over. While the fourth was a dot ball, the fifth was sent for six, and the final ball was elegantly dispatched for four, sealing Pakistan's triumphant win.
Faheem Ashraf's blistering performance, compiling 29 undefeated runs off just 11 balls with three sixes and two fours, was among the top scores made by a player batting at number eight or lower in a T20 World Cup chase. His 24 runs off Logan van Beek's over matched the most runs scored in a single over by a Pakistani batsman in a T20 World Cup match. Collectively, Pakistan managed to amass 29 runs in the last two overs, marking a record for runs scored by Pakistan in the final two overs of a successful T20 International chase.
34 runs
Australia vs Pakistan, Gros Islet, 2010
31 runs
West Indies vs Australia, Mirpur, 2014
31 runs
India vs Pakistan, Melbourne, 2022
30 runs
Sri Lanka vs India, Gros Islet, 2010
29 runs
Pakistan vs Netherlands, Colombo SSC, 2026
27 runs
West Indies vs England, Kolkata, 2016
34* (10)
Carlos Brathwaite (West Indies) vs England, Kolkata, 2016
32 (17)
Umar Gul (Pakistan) vs South Africa, Colombo RPS, 2012
29* (11)
Faheem Ashraf (Pakistan) vs Netherlands, Colombo SSC, 2026
