Overview:
The Colombo pitch is a haven for batters, offering a lightning-fast outfield and little help for spinners.
Pakistan will begin their ICC T20 World Cup 2026 journey with their opening group-stage match against the Netherlands in Colombo, marking the first game on February 7.
Pakistan enjoyed a commanding performance against Australia, securing a 3-0 win.
The Dutch side has struggled in recent T20 matches, including warm-up matches and a series loss against Bangladesh. They will be eager to build momentum in the tournament with a win against Pakistan.
Pitch report
The Colombo pitch is a haven for batters, offering a lightning-fast outfield and little help for spinners. While pacers enjoy an early advantage, the surface flattens quickly, allowing batters to dominate. First innings scores often reach between 160-170 runs.
PAK vs NED head-to-head records in T20Is
The head-to-head record between Pakistan and the Netherlands is in favor of the Men in Green, having won both of their previous encounters.
| Matches Played | PAK | NED | No Result |
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
PAK vs NED Probable XIs
Pakistan: Saim Ayub, Salman Agha (C), Mohammad Nawaz, Babar Azam, Sahibzada Farhan, Usman Khan (wk), Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Abrar Ahmed Naseem Shah, Faheem Ashraf/Usman Tariq.
Netherlands : Max O’Dowd, Vikramjit Singh, Colin Ackermann, Scott Edwards (C/wk), Bas de Leede, Saqib Zulfiqar, Kyle Klein, Roelof van der Merwe/Noah Croes Logan van Beek, Aryan Dutt, Paul van Meekeren.
PAK vs NED T20 World Cup Squads
Netherlands: Michael Levitt, Max ODowd, Noah Croes, Roelof van der Merwe, Logan van Beek, Bas de Leede, Zach Lion Cachet, Colin Ackermann, Scott Edwards(w/c), Timm van der Gugten, Aryan Dutt, Kyle Klein, Paul van Meekeren, Saqib Zulfiqar, Fred Klaassen
Pakistan Squad: Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Nafay(w), Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Salman Agha(c), Naseem Shah, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Salman Mirza, Abrar Ahmed, Sahibzada Farhan, Usman Khan, Usman Tariq