Pakistan started their campaign for the 2026 T20 World Cup with a thrilling victory over the Netherlands on Saturday (February 7). The men in green were on the verge of defeat, but eventually managed to cross the finish line.

The Netherlands, who batted first, were bowled out for 147 runs. Captain Scott Edwards is the team’s top scorer with 37 points on 29 goals. like Michael Levitt (24), lower lead (30) and Colin Ackerman (30) also got off to a great start, but no one was able to convert it into a big score.

For Pakistan, Salman Mirza was the pick of the bowlers as he took 3 wickets and scored 24 runs while Mohammad Nawaz Abra Ahmed Saim Ayub took two wickets each.

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Pakistan responded by equalizing the total with three goals remaining, but not before suffering a huge scare. At 98/3 after 11 overs, Pakistan looked destined to chase the total with ease. However, an inexplicable collapse in batting took them down from 98/3 to 114/7.

Ultimately, the winning percentage fell to 29 points in the final two rounds. The Netherlands had previously led at that stage Faheem Ashraf He scored 24 runs in the 19th inning and turned the game around. Max O’Dowd bowled him out in the same over and the Pakistan all-rounder made the most of it. He ended up making an unbeaten 29 off just 11 balls and was named Man of the Match for his efforts.

Ramiz Raja faces criticism:

Former Pakistan cricketer-turned-commentator Ramiz Raja has been in the limelight from time to time, thanks to his penchant for making unusual remarks on air. He performed well again after Pakistan’s match against Netherlands in Colombo.

He was being interviewed by the captains after the game and his comments about Netherlands captain Scott Edwards caught the attention of many. Ramiz Raja on Netherlands captain: “Thank you for providing such a challenging game for all of us.”

Many viewed the comment as a condescending attitude rather than a compliment as some social media users slammed Ramiz Raja for it. They pointed out that Ramiz Raja’s comments undermined the Netherlands’ capabilities.

Edwards, for his part, handled the moment with aplomb and shared his thoughts on the game, saying: “We probably felt that 160 might give us a fair chance. So we were a little bit behind and we had to bowl well to get in there. Obviously, a couple of spells from Ruelof (van der Merwe) and Pauly (van Miklan) got us in the game. I thought it was a really good wicket.

“Pakistan had a run at one stage and Paulie bowled a ball and I think he bowled a maiden or something (a two-wicket maiden). Then, not many really improved the run-rate. And, the boys kind of seized on the momentum. You know, cricket can be a brutal game at times,” he added.