Kamal Ghorui
Pakistan began their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign with a narrow escape, edging past the Netherlands in a tense Group A opener in Colombo on Saturday. While the result read as a win, the performance left plenty to be desired, drawing sharp criticism from former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali, who did not mince his words while assessing the team’s batting effort.Opting to bowl first, Pakistan produced a disciplined display with the ball to restrict the Netherlands to 147. Salman Mirza led the charge, picking up three wickets and ensuring the Dutch batters never truly broke free. The modest target appeared well within Pakistan’s reach, especially after an aggressive start in the chase.
Sahibzada Farhan set the tone at the top, scoring a fluent 47 off 31 balls and giving Pakistan early momentum. However, what followed was a dramatic shift in the contest. The Netherlands struck back with timely wickets, exposing Pakistan’s fragile middle order and dragging the game into a nervy finish. With two overs remaining, Pakistan were suddenly staring at the daunting task of scoring 29 runs with just three wickets in hand.The turning point arrived in the 19th over when Faheem Ashraf received a lifeline after Max O’Dowd dropped a crucial catch. Ashraf made the Netherlands pay immediately, smashing 24 runs in the over and swinging the momentum back in Pakistan’s favour. He then calmly saw the team home, sealing victory with three balls to spare and sparing Pakistan a potentially embarrassing defeat.Despite the win, the batting collapse did not go unnoticed. Basit Ali launched a scathing assessment of Pakistan’s performance, questioning both technique and temperament.“Pakistan bach gaya bhai! (Pakistan just about survived). When Shaheen Shah Afridi is called in to bat, you can imagine what Pakistan batting did in that game. Bad batsmanship by the middle order, especially Babar Azam, Nawaz and Shadab Khan. These are experienced players. They have played not just in leagues across the world, but also in the Pakistan Super League. Today, they did not become heroes for Pakistan, they ended up being zeroes,” former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali said on Game Plan.He went further, raising concerns over the lack of match-winners in the line-up.“Who is a match changer in the Pakistan team? What are you going to say to a country’s fans that get happy when a wicket falls just because it means that Babar Azam will come to bat. But then Babar comes and goes. Today’s star for Pakistan was Faheem Ashraf, who came in at No 8. Baaki batsman chanafali bech rahe the kya?(Were the rest of the batters selling peanuts?)” he added.Pakistan will now turn their attention to their next Group A clash against the USA on Tuesday in Colombo, knowing that stronger batting performances will be essential as the tournament progresses.
