Faheem to the rescue as Pakistan avoid Dutch scare

Pakistan brought chaos back in the T20 World Cup's opening match, scraping a three-wicket win over Netherlands in a chase that nearly went wrong. Faheem Ashraf's stunning 11-ball 29 not out rescued them in the final two overs.

Needing 29 off the last two overs—the most Pakistan have ever scored in that phase to win a T20I—the game turned when Max O'Dowd dropped Faheem on 7. Faheem hammered two sixes and a boundary in that over to swing the match.

Pakistan's chase had begun comfortably. Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub added 27 in the first two overs. Even after Aryan Dutt removed Ayub and captain Salman Ali Agha in the PowerPlay, Farhan kept finding boundaries. Pakistan were 61 for 2 after six overs.

Farhan and Babar Azam then put on 45 for the third wicket, but the game turned in the 11th over when Paul van Meekeren bowled a double-wicket maiden. Farhan was caught in the deep, and Usman Khan chopped on. Babar holed out soon after, and the chase unraveled.

Van Meekeren and Dutt bowled tight overs, increasing the required rate. Kyle Klein removed Mohammad Nawaz, and Timm van der Gugten dismissed Shadab Khan next ball. With wickets falling, Netherlands were favorites until O'Dowd's drop let Faheem launch his assault.

Earlier, Netherlands were bowled out for 147 after being sent in. Michael Levitt hit a boundary off the first ball, but both openers fell in the PowerPlay. They reached 50, but Pakistan's spinners tightened the grip.

Abrar Ahmed had Colin Ackermann chop on in his first over. Captain Scott Edwards held the innings with 37 off 29 balls, but fell in the 16th over trying to accelerate, triggering a collapse.

Saim Ayub took two wickets in the next over, and Netherlands slid from 127 for 4 to 147 all out. Salman Mirza finished with 3 for 24.

Pakistan were sharp in the field, with catches from Salman Ali Agha, Sahibzada Farhan, and a relay effort from Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi helping offset their batting struggles.

Brief Scores:
Netherlands 147 in 19.5 overs (Scott Edwards 37; Salman Mirza 3-24) lost to Pakistan 148/7 in 19.3 overs (Sahibzada Farhan 47, Faheem Ashraf 29*; Paul van Meekeren 2-20) by 3 wickets.