- 23-year-old Khawaja Nafay played two T20 matches.
- Free entry announced for opening match at SSC Grounds.
- Pakistan faced the Netherlands twice and won both matches.
Right-handed batsman Khawaja Nafay is expected to open Pakistan’s innings alongside Saim Ayub as the Green Shirts begin their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 journey by taking on the Netherlands tomorrow (Saturday).
The opening match of the 20-team tournament will be played at 10.30 am (Pakistani Standard Time) where Pakistan will take on the Netherlands in Group “A” at the Sinhalese Sports Club Cricket Ground, Colombo.
According to reports, the team management has decided to play Nafay as an opener alongside Saim Ayub for the first match.
The 23-year-old Nafay has played two T20 matches and his inclusion in the Playing XI means the experienced Fakhar Zaman is likely to be dropped.
Pakistan’s likely teams against Netherlands will be:
Saim Ayub, Khawaja Nafay, Salman Ali Agha (captain), Babar Azam, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Faheem Ashraf, Salman Mirza and Abrar Ahmed.
Fans receive free admission to the opening match
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has announced free entry for fans to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 opener between Pakistan and Netherlands
According to the SLC, fans can witness the opening of the 20-team tournament, which they are co-hosting with India from February 7 to March 8, “for free”, with gates number 5 and 7 being opened for them from 9:30 am according to local time, an hour and a half before the start of the action.
However, the opening match of the tournament could be disrupted as heavy rain is expected in the evening, with a high chance of precipitation of 83% and an expected rainfall of around 4.2 mm.
Pakistan and the Netherlands faced each other twice, with the Men in Green winning both encounters. The Flying Dutchmen have not yet achieved a victory.
Squads
Pakistan: Salman Ali Agha (c), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Nafay, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan and Usman Tariq.
The 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.
