Pakistan's T20 World Cup campaign began with a nail-biting victory over the Netherlands, as the Associate nation almost pulled off a stunning upset. The Dutch made a strong start to their innings, with opener Michael Levitt smashing 24 runs off 15 balls. Bas de Leede continued the momentum, scoring 30 off 25 balls, and the Netherlands were looking set for a competitive total at 105-3. However, Pakistan's Mohammad Nawaz, Abrar Ahmed, and Saim Ayub took control, bowling the Associate nation out for just 125 runs. Sahibzada Farhan's 47 off 31 balls guided Pakistan to 98-2, but a collapse followed as Roelof van der Merwe and Paul van Meekeren bowled tightly. Ashraf averted a potential blunder, hitting three sixes and a four in the penultimate over, but the Netherlands had a chance to dismiss him on seven when Max O'Dowd dropped a catch. With five runs needed from the final over, Ashraf got himself on strike and thrashed De Leede through cover for four, securing Pakistan's victory.
