Faheem leads Pakistan to nervy win over Netherlands in T20 World Cup opener

Al JazeeraCenterEN 2 min read 100% complete February 7, 2026 at 10:52 AM

AI Summary

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In the opening match of the 2026 T20 World Cup in Colombo, Pakistan narrowly defeated the Netherlands by three wickets. The Netherlands, batting first, were bowled out for 147. Pakistan struggled to chase the target, needing a late innings surge from Faheem Ashraf, who scored 29 not out off 11 balls, to secure the win with three balls remaining. The Netherlands' missed catch of Ashraf proved costly. This victory is crucial for Pakistan's Super 8 qualification hopes, especially after their decision to boycott the match against India. The Netherlands' middle order showed resilience, but ultimately collapsed in the final overs.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Aryan Dutt 30% Michael Levitt 30% Colombo 40% Shaheen Shah Afridi 40% Max O’Dowd ×240% India ×260% Netherlands ×580% T20 World Cup ×480% Faheem Ashraf ×490% Pakistan ×790%

Keywords

t20 world cup 100% pakistan 90% netherlands 80% cricket 70% faheem ashraf 60% match 60% win 50% batting 40% bowling 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Positive

Score: 0.20

Source Transparency

Source

Al Jazeera

Political Lean

Center (0.00)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

Pakistan

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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