Pakistan given Dutch fright, but get the win
The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 kick-started in perfect fashion as the opening delivery of the tournament was dispatched to the rope for four, setting the tone for the Dutch, who powered to 28 runs for no loss in the opening three overs.
But Pakistan fought back in the latter stages of the Powerplay, removing both openers to help have proceedings at 50/2 at the six-over mark. The dismissal of Michael Levitt (24 off 15 balls) was a world-class catch on the boundary, where outfield specialist Babar Azam combined superbly with Shaheen Afridi to keep the ball inside the rope and securely off the turf.
The Pakistan outfit continued their fight in the field, rallying to have the Dutch at 79/3 at the midpoint of the innings. Consistent quality efforts in the field allowed Pakistan to restrict the Netherlands to 147 all out with a ball to spare. Captain Scott Edwards top-scored for the Dutch, making 37 off 29 to ensure his side had something to defend.
In the chase, Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan gave a stellar start to Pakistan with their attacking strokeplay. While Saim fell to Aryan Dutt after a 13-ball stay during which he added 24 runs. Sahibzada’s smashing display improved Pakistan’s scoring rate further as they were well on track of their ask.
However, the Dutch struck back in the middle overs, picking three wickets across two overs. Paul van Meekeren struck twice in an over, sending back the dangerous Sahibzada Farhan just short of his fifty, before Roelof van der Merwe got rid off Babar Azam, who fell to a great catch from Kyle Klein.
Momentum soon swung in the Netherlands’ favour as a superb bowling spell saw Pakistan lose five wickets for just 16 runs. The equation tightened sharply, with 29 required off the final 12 deliveries. Faheem Ashraf smashed three sixes in the penultimate over to swing the momentum back Pakistan’s way, leaving just five required from the final over. Ashraf sealed the game for Pakistan with a boundary, with three balls to spare, handing Netherlands a heartbreaking defeat.
India begin strong with win over USA
Defending champions India take on USA in Mumbai also on the opening day and USA got off to the perfect start after opting to bowl first as Ali Khan dismissed the dangerous Abhishek Sharma for a duck.
Ishan Kishan then joined Tilak Varma, and the duo looked to steady the innings. They added 37 runs before Shadley van Schalkwyk turned the game on its head, removing Ishan Kishan (20 off 16), Tilak Varma (25 off 16) and Shivam Dube for a golden duck in the final over of the Powerplay. India were left in a tricky position at 46/4 at the end of the first six overs.
Suryakumar Yadav and Rinku Singh looked to rebuild the innings, but the pair could add only 26 runs before Mohammad Mohsin dismissed Rinku Singh. Harmeet Singh got the big wicket of Hardik Pandya in the next over, pushing India into deeper trouble.
Axar Patel joined Suryakumar Yadav at the crease and provided much-needed stability for India. The pair added a valuable 41-run stand to push India past the three-figure mark before Harmeet Singh struck again, claiming his second wicket by dismissing Axar Patel. Suryakumar Yadav played a captain’s knock, holding India’s innings together as they battled through to reach a competitive total of 161.
India started the defence strongly as Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh struck in consecutive overs, dismissing Andries Gous and Monank Patel respectively to give India the perfect start. Saiteja Mukkamalla shortly followed as USA were reeling three down in the fourth over. Milind Kumar and Sanjay Krishnamurthi made a shot at rebuilding the innings and struck up a partnership of 58 runs for the fourth wicket. Just when they started to take on India’s attack, Kumar (34 runs off 34 balls) was stumped by Ishan Kishan. Shubham Ranjane showed immense resilience, fighting through pain from a knock picked up earlier, and struck at 168.68. He held on despite running out of partners at the other end. Ranjane was eventually trapped in front by Siraj on the final ball of the innings for a well-made 37 runs from 22 balls. Reigning champions India started their title defence by beating USA by 29 runs.
Disciplined bowling not enough for Scotland over the Windies
Scotland’s disciplined bowling in the first six overs kept West Indies in check, with the opening pair of Brandon King and Shai Hope managing just 33 runs in the Powerplay. West Indies attempted to accelerate soon after, but Scotland struck in quick succession. Michael Leask removed Shai Hope for 19 off 22 balls, before Brandon King departed six deliveries later, following a steady 35 off 30.
Shimron Hetmyer’s arrival injected much-needed momentum into the West Indies innings. The left-hander raced to a fifty off just 22 balls, and with able support from Rovman Powell, West Indies surged into a strong position at 126/2 at the end of the 14th over. Powell smashed a quick 24 off 14 before falling to Brad Currie. New batter Sherfane Rutherford ensured the momentum didn’t dip, blasting 26 off just 13 balls before Currie struck again to pick up his second.
Hetmyer’s commanding 64 off 36 balls laid the bedrock of the West Indies innings, and his knock only came to an end when Brandon McMullen pulled off a stunning catch. West Indies eventually finished with a competitive total of 182.
Scotland struggled to capitalise in the Powerplay as the West Indies bowlers struck thrice in the first six overs to seize control. Jason Holder removed opener Michael Jones before Romario Shepherd knocked over Brandon McMullen. Shamar Joseph then dismissed George Munsey in the final over of the Powerplay, leaving Scotland in a precarious position at 38/3 after six overs.
In response, Richie Berrington and Tom Bruce steadied the innings and halted the fall of wickets with a much-needed 78-run partnership. Scotland were pushed onto the back foot again when Jason Holder dismissed skipper Richie Berrington for 42 off 24 balls, and in the very next over, Gudakesh Motie trapped Tom Bruce lbw for 35 off 28.
Romario Shepherd ended any hopes of a Scotland victory with a brilliant 17th over, as the all-rounder picked up four wickets, including a hat-trick, the first of this edition of the tournament. The over completely broke the back of Scotland’s run chase, with the visitors collapsing from 133/5 to 133/9. Soon after, Jason Holder picked up his third wicket by dismissing Mark Watt, sealing a 35-run victory for West Indies.
Sri Lanka, New Zealand power to victory too
Ireland slipped to a 20-run defeat against T20 World Cup co-hosts Sri Lanka in their Group B opener in Colombo. Having won the toss and opted to bowl, Ireland restricted Sri Lanka to 71 for three by the end of the 11th over after George Dockrell picked up two wickets.
Kusal Mendis finally gave the home crowd something to get behind as he pushed the total on, but was fortunate to be dropped three times in the 17th over. Barry McCarthy then took two wickets in two balls to dismiss Kamindu Mendis for 44 off just 19 balls, and Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka for a golden duck. Kusal Mendis then brought up his half-century as the co-hosts made 163 for six.
Ireland lost captain Paul Stirling (6) in the fourth over of their reply when he was bowled by Maheesh Theekshana, but a determined 34 from Ross Adair saw them on to 72 for two at the halfway stage. Lorcan Tucker (21) and Harry Tector (40) chipped away at the run-chase and Ireland were 104 for two after 14 overs, needing 60 from the last six.
Sri Lanka fought back to make regular breakthroughs – with Theekshana dismissing Ben Calitz and Gareth Delany in successive deliveries – as Ireland finished short, all out for 143 with one ball left after losing their last eight wickets for 38. Wanindu Hasaranga and Theekshana claimed three wickets each.
Earlier, New Zealand secured a decisive five-wicket win over Afghanistan after chasing down 183-5, their highest ever at the T20 World Cup, with two overs to spare. Afghanistan’s Gulbadin Naib scored 63 off 35 balls, helping his team post 182-6.
Tim Seifert led New Zealand’s response with 65 runs, overcoming early setbacks. Glenn Phillips contributed 42, partnering with Seifert for a 74-run stand. Despite efforts from Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan, New Zealand accelerated in the middle overs, and Mark Chapman and Daryl Mitchell’s cameos sealed victory.