COLOMBO: Pakistan defeated Netherlands by three wickets in T20 World Cup opener here on Saturday.
Sent in to bat, Netherlands lost the way in the later part of their innings after a strong start as Pakistan bowled them out for 147 in 19.5 overs.
In reply, opener Sahibzada Farhan made 47 off 31 balls, while Faheem Ashraf played an unbeaten 11-ball 29-run cameo to help Pakistan chase down the target with three balls to spare.
Paul van Meekeren (2/20) and Aryan Dutt (2/33) were the most successful bowlers for Netherlands.
Brief Scores:
Netherlands: 147 all out in 19.5 overs (Scott Edwards 37, Bas de Leede 30; Salman Mirza 3/24, Saim Ayub 2/7, Mohammad Nawaz 2/38, Abrar Ahmed 2/23).
Pakistan: 148 for 7 in 19.3 overs (Sahibzada Farhan 47, Faheem Ashraf 29 not out, Paul van Meekeren 2/20, Aryan Dutt 2/33).