Faheem Ashraf’s late surge seals tense T20 win for Pakistan

Chasing 148, Pakistan reached 147 for seven in 19.3 overs, surviving a nervy finish after sustained pressure from the Netherlands during the middle phase of the chase.

Pakistan began confidently through openers Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan, who gave the chase early momentum. Ayub set the tone with a brisk 24 off 13 balls, hitting four fours and a six, before being dismissed by off-spinner Aryan Dutt.

Farhan then combined with captain Salman Ali Agha to keep the run rate under control, adding 50 runs by the fifth over. Dutt struck again to remove Agha for 12 off eight balls, leaving Pakistan 53 for two inside five overs.

Despite the wickets, Farhan remained calm at the crease, anchoring the innings as Babar Azam took time to settle. 
Farhan eventually found fluency and moved within sight of a ninth T20I half-century, before being dismissed for 47 off 31 balls, an innings that included four fours and two sixes.

His wicket, taken by Roelof van der Merwe, reduced Pakistan to 98 for three, and the same bowler struck again moments later to remove Usman Khan for a second-ball duck.

Pakistan’s chase began to stall as another middle-order batter managed just 15 off 18 balls, allowing the Netherlands to build pressure. In the final five overs, wickets continued to fall, with Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan dismissed cheaply by Kyle Klein and Logan van Beek, leaving the outcome finely balanced.

With the required run rate climbing, Faheem Ashraf and Shaheen Shah Afridi kept their composure. Ashraf swung the momentum dramatically with a flurry of boundaries.

He smashed Van Beek for 22 in the 19th over to shift the moment in favour of Pakistan.

Faheem finished unbeaten on 29 off 11 balls, striking two fours and three sixes, as Pakistan sealed a memorable victory in the final over and underlined their resilience in Pakistan vs Netherlands T20 cricket.

Spin trap 

Earlier, a collective bowling performance helped Pakistan restrict the Netherlands to 147.

Openers Michael Levitt and Max O’Dowd made a positive start, with Levitt particularly aggressive during the powerplay. Pakistan struck in the fourth over when Salman Mirza dismissed O’Dowd for five, with Usman Khan completing the catch.

Left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz then removed Levitt for 24 off 15 balls, with a moment of brilliance in the field from Babar Azam, who relayed the ball to Saim Ayub near the boundary.

Bas de Leede and Colin Ackermann steadied the innings, taking the Netherlands past 50 inside the powerplay, before Abrar Ahmed dismissed Ackermann for 20 to leave the visitors 65 for three.

The Netherlands reached 100 in the 13th over, but Nawaz removed de Leede for 30, while Abrar struck again to dismiss captain Scott Edwards for a crucial 37.

Saim Ayub then claimed two wickets in an over, removing Logan van Beek and Zach Lion-Cachet, before Shaheen Shah Afridi and Salman Mirza wrapped up the innings.

Mirza finished with three for 24, while Nawaz, Abrar and Ayub took two wickets each.