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Faheem Ashraf Holds Nerve as Pakistan Escape Dutch Scare in T20 World Cup

Waqas Khaliq

Pakistan survived a major scare against the Netherlands before Faheem Ashraf’s late fireworks carried them to a tense three-wicket victory in their Group A clash at the Twenty20 World Cup in Colombo on Saturday.Asked to bat first at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, the Netherlands were dismissed for 147 with just one ball remaining. What followed was a spirited bowling display that pushed Pakistan to the brink, only for a costly dropped catch to turn the match on its head.Faheem, dropped at long-off in the 19th over, made the most of his reprieve, smashing an unbeaten 29 off just 11 deliveries. His calm under pressure ensured Pakistan crossed the line with three balls to spare, ending a nervy chase.With Pakistan already under pressure in the group after boycotting their February 15 fixture against archrivals India, there was little room for error. That urgency showed early as they wrapped up the Dutch innings just in time, but their batting nearly undid the good work.

The Netherlands looked well set after reaching 100 in the 13th over, but a dramatic collapse in the final stages saw them lose six wickets for just 20 runs in the last four overs. Bas de Leede (30), Colin Ackermann (20) and skipper Scott Edwards (37) had earlier steadied the innings after the early loss of openers Max O’Dowd and Michael Levitt.Saim Ayub turned the game in Pakistan’s favour with two wickets in the 17th over, while Mirza struck twice in the final over to keep the Dutch total in check.Pakistan’s reply started brightly through Ayub, who struck four boundaries and a six in his 24, but Aryan Dutta’s double strike — removing Ayub and Salman Agha — dragged the Netherlands back into the contest. Babar Azam’s scratchy 15 off 18 balls once again raised questions about his strike rate in the shortest format.At 119 for 7 after 18 overs, Pakistan were wobbling. Faheem then took charge, launching Logan van Beek for a six before surviving a towering chance that slipped through O’Dowd’s hands. The miss proved decisive as Faheem finished the job with a boundary, sparing Pakistan blushes and keeping their Super 8 hopes alive

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