T20 World Cup 2026: 'We have to do it the hard way' - Pakistan skipper Agha Salman reflects on winning start against Netherlands

In what turned out to be a humdinger of an encounter, Pakistan reigned supreme over the Netherlands in the season opener of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo on Saturday, February 7. The last-over thriller eventually went Pakistan's way, as they chased down the 148-run target with three wickets and three balls to spare.

The Men in Green skipper Salman Ali Agha seemed to be delighted with the way his team pulled things back at the right time. Agha also heaped massive praise on Faheem Ashraf, who played a thunderous cameo of 29* off just 11 deliveries, where his blitz in the penultimate over to Logan van Beek ultimately got Pakistan off to a winning start.

"We have to do it the hard way. Credit to Faheem Ashraf. We tried well and knew they'd come hard. Held things really well. 147 we'd take on this pitch. Spinners have done well in the last six months. In the first ten overs we batted well, then the two wickets fell and pressure came in. We need to absorb better.

"Conditions - Not easy to start; once we get in, it gets easier. Once a batter gets set, they need to finish the game; they didn't do that today. Want to change that," Agha said at the post-match presentation.

Scott Edwards, the Dutch captain, was obviously dejected after not being on the winning side in a closely fought contest. However, he gave the bowlers a word of appreciation for bringing the game quite close. He believes that the side was ultimately a few runs short while setting the target; otherwise, the result could have been a lot different.

"We weren't at our best. Credit to the boys for fighting. Small moments can come on to hurt you. We kept losing wickets at important times. We felt 160 was going to give us a fair chance. We had to bowl well to give us a chance. A couple of good performances from the bowlers kept us in the game. It's a good wicket, Pakistan got it down to run a ball, then we got a maiden and the boys jumped on the momentum," Edwards said after the match.

Pakistan will next face the United States of America in Colombo on February 12. On the same date, the Netherlands will face off against Namibia in a Group A encounter at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.