Basit Ali On Pakistan : Pakistan defeated the Netherlands in the T20 World Cup 2026 opener game on Saturday. Pakistan opted to bowl first and bundled out the opposition team for just 147 runs, with Salman Mirza taking up three wickets. In response to that, Pakistan got a good start as Sahibzada Farhan smashed 47 runs off 31 balls.
However, the Netherlands, without wasting any time, bounced back quickly, taking wickets in quick intervals and changing the game. With just two overs remaining, Pakistan needed 29 runs to win with only three wickets in hand.
In the 19th over, Faheem Ashraf survived when Max O’Dowd dropped a crucial catch. Ashraf smashed 24 runs in the over and helped Pakistan to win with three balls to win.
Basit Ali On Pakistan
If Pakistan failed to win, then it could be a humiliating win for the team. Former cricketer Basit Ali criticized the players for their poor performance.
He said,
“Pakistan bach gaya bhai! (Pakistan just about survived). When Shaheen Shah Afridi is called in to bat, you can imagine what Pakistan’s batting did in that game. Bad batsmanship by the middle order, especially Babar Azam, Nawaz, and Shadab Khan. These are experienced players. They have played not just in leagues across the world but also in the Pakistan Super League. Today, they did not become heroes for Pakistan; they ended up being zeroes.”
“Who is a match changer in the Pakistan team? What are you going to say to a country’s fans that get happy when a wicket falls just because it means that Babar Azam will come to bat? But then Babar comes and goes. Today’s star for Pakistan was Faheem Ashraf, who came in at No. 8. Baaki batsman chanafali bech rahe the kya?
Pakistan will now be clashing against the USA for their next T20 World Cup 2026 campaign on Tuesday.
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