Babar Azam the villain? Salman Ali Agha issues statement on Pakistan’s stunning win vs Netherlands

Pakistan kicked off their ICC T20 World Cup 2026 with a crucial win against the Netherlands on the opening day of the tournament (February 7) at the SSC cricket ground, Sri Lanka. After the match, Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha emphasised their bowling performances against the Dutch cricket team. Agha believed that their bowlers did a pretty good job in the game.

Agha applauded his batters as well despite back-to-back wicket falls during the middle of the second innings while Pakistan was chasing a target of 148. The captain especially mentioned Faheem Ashraf to secure the vital win.

Pakistan got a victory over the Netherlands:

Pakistan was the clear favourite to win the inaugural match of the T20 World Cup 2026. The Netherlands cricket team has the quality in their squad, but they lack experience at the highest level of cricket.

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They could have beaten the Men in Green and started the tournament by producing an expected result, but they have yet to learn how to control the pressure of a match, especially the pressure of matches like the World Cup.

The Netherlands went to bat first and registered 147/10 in 19.5 overs. In response, Pakistan went off nicely in the second innings. Sahibzada Farhan's (47) confident batting was propelling the team to a swift victory.

Netherlands, out of the blue, suddenly got a chance to sneak back into the contest as soon as Farhan headed back to the dressing room on the first ball of the 12th over.

Usman Khan and Babar Azam also departed within a short interval. In 3 overs, Pakistan lost their three prolific batters and put the team in an unpleasant situation. Because of the three dismissals, the Netherlands dared to dream about a stunning victory.

Faheem Ashraf settled things in style

When the asking run rate was on a rising phase, number eight batter Faheem Ashraf walked into the middle, blazing all guns.

The all-rounder scored an unbeaten 29 off 11 and confirmed Pakistan's win. Without the fireworks from Ashraf, the result of the match could be something else.

But credit to obviously Faheem, the way he batted; I think he batted outstandingly well - Salman Ali Agha

Salman Ali Agha looked very confident after the match. He praised his bowlers and Ashraf for the win. But he did not blame any of the batters for making the contest tricky, even against a decent target. Agha said that the pitch offered a lot to the batters.

"We have to do it the hard way. But I think it was when we bowled, I think we really stuck down really well. With 148, I can take that any day. We batted well in the first 10 overs, but you have five, six bad overs, like if it's two, three bad overs, you get so far away from the game," Salman Ali Agha said.

"But credit to obviously Faheem, the way he batted, I think he batted outstandingly well. (With the ball) I think we started well and we knew they were gonna come hard. But I think we pulled things really well. And 147, I think we will take in any game on this kind of pitch," Salman Ali Agha stated.

"They've been bowling well for like the last six months now (on the bowlers)
And they have done it today as well. It's a complete bowling performance, I can say that. I think the first 10 (overs) was very good. We batted really well. And then they managed to pull wickets down. And then at that time, the pressure came in," Salman Ali Agha added.

"And I think we need to absorb better when it comes to these kinds of games. Lovely batting conditions. If you sum up the conditions of batting. It's not easy to start, but once you get in, it's a good wicket to bat on. When someone gets in, we need to make sure that person will finish," Salman Ali Agha concluded.

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