Pakistani team took the field against NetherlandsImage Credit source: Getty Images
The T20 World Cup 2026 has started and in the first match, the team which had created a ruckus before the start of the tournament has taken the field. The first match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 started between Pakistan and Netherlands on the morning of Saturday 7 February in Colombo. In this tournament, there are talks of action being taken against the Pakistani team which created controversy by announcing boycott of the match against India, but in the meantime, Salman Agha’s team came on the field and in the very first match, the star batsman was dropped from the playing-11.
pakistani team In this World Cup, it is playing all its matches in Sri Lanka and hence its matches are in danger of being affected by the weather. The match also started at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo amidst the threat of rain. In this, Pakistani captain Salman Ali Aga won the toss and decided to bowl first. The Pakistani captain also admitted that the threat of rain was on his mind.
Star batsman was thrown out
A day before the match, Salman had announced that Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman could be dropped from the playing-11 if they do not fit as per the team’s planning and requirements and this is exactly what happened. Star batsman and former captain Babar Azam was successful in making a place in the playing-11 but senior batsman Fakhar Zaman did not get a chance in this match. Fakhar, an experienced left-handed batsman, had played the role of opener for Pakistan in the last few T20 World Cups. But recently he was batting in the middle order. All-rounder Faheem Ashraf was given a chance in his place.
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PAK vs NED: Playing 11 of the match
Pakistan: Salman Aga (captain), Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Babar Azam, Usman Khan (wicketkeeper), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Salman Mirza and Abrar Ahmed.
Netherlands: Scott Edwards (captain-wicketkeeper), Michael Levitt, Max O’Dowd, Bas DeLide, Colin Ackerman, Jacques Lion-Cashette, Logan van Beek, Roelof van der Merwe, Aryan Dutt, Kyle Clyne and Paul van Meekeren.