Key Points
- The Men in Green enter the tournament with strong momentum, having recently whitewashed Australia 3-0 in a home T20I series.
- Pakistan hold a perfect head-to-head record against the Netherlands, winning both previous World Cup encounters.
COLOMBO: Pakistan won the toss and elected to bowl first against the Netherlands in the opening match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground here on Saturday.
The clash marks the tenth edition of the T20 World Cup and sets the tone for the global tournament, with Pakistan opting to take early advantage of the conditions under lights.
Pakistan hold a clear advantage in the brief history between the two sides. The Men in Green have won both previous encounters against the Netherlands, while the Flying Dutchmen are yet to secure a victory.
Matches played: 2
Pakistan won: 2
Netherlands won: 0
The last meeting came during the 2022 T20 World Cup in Perth, where Pakistan registered a comfortable six-wicket win. Batting first, the Netherlands were restricted to 91 for 9 in 20 overs, a target Pakistan chased down in 13.5 overs with four wickets in hand.
Form guide
Pakistan enter the tournament brimming with confidence after a dominant home series against Australia, where they completed a clean sweep by winning the three-match T20I series 3-0.
The Netherlands, meanwhile, will be eager to turn things around and start their World Cup campaign on a positive note following a recent T20I series defeat against Bangladesh.
Pakistan: W, W, W, L, A (most recent first)
Netherlands: NR, L, L, W, W
Team line-ups
Pakistan: Salman Ali Agha (c), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan and Usman Tariq.
Netherlands: Scott Edwards (c), Colin Ackermann, Noah Croes, Bas de Leede, Aryan Dutt, Fred Klaassen, Kyle Klein, Michael Levitt, Zach Lion-Cachet, Max O’Dowd, Logan van Beek, Timm van der Gugten, Roelof van der Merwe, Paul van Meekeren and Saqib Zulfiqar.
With momentum on Pakistan’s side and the Netherlands looking to defy history, the World Cup opener promises an intriguing start to the marquee event.
