The T20 World Cup 2026 will burst into life today as 20 teams gear up for the biggest carnival in the format. Pakistan and Netherlands will open the tournament with their clash at the Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo with West Indies, Scotland, India and the USA also in action later.
Pakistan have made headlines for several reasons leading into the tournament. They have announced their boycott of the league stage match against India on February 15 at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo after Bangladesh were removed from the tournament.
The Men in Green will have a task cut out as they will forfeit a couple of points against India and a potential loss to any of the other group members: USA and Nambia, will put their progress to the next stage under threat.
Meanwhile, they also have combinations to sort out with captain Salman Ali Agha hinting that they can drop veteran Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman from the team if needed. "Jo best combination hain, hum wohi khilane ki koshish karenge (We will try to play the best combination)," Agha said before their Netherlands clash.
"Usme agar koi senior players, Fakhar or Babar fit nahi hote toh hum unko nahi khilayenge (If senior players like Fakhar or Babar don't fit into that combination, we won't play them). Hum wohi khilayenge jo team ke liye best hain (We will play only those who are best for the team)."
Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo pitch report
Pakistan's opening match in the tournament is scheduled to take place at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo against the Dutch, who had famously defeated South Africa in the group stage in 2022.
The surface is a bit of a mystery for everyone as the venue has ever hosted just two T20Is, which came more than 16 years ago. However, the surface is expected to be a decent one for the batters, with pacers getting purchase early on. The spin will also play a role; however, it may not be that much of a threat.
Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo - The Numbers Game
Matches Played - 2
Matches Won by Home Side - 0
Matches Won by Touring Side - 0
Matches Won by Neutral Side - 2
Matches Won Batting First - 1
Matches Won Batting Second - 1
Highest Team Innings - 176/3 by Canada 03/02/2010 vs Ireland
Highest Run Chase Achieved - 143/5 by Afghanistan 04/02/2010 vs Canada
Average Score Batting First - 158
Squads:
Netherlands Squad: Michael Levitt, Max ODowd, Bas de Leede, Zach Lion Cachet, Colin Ackermann, Scott Edwards(w/c), Noah Croes, Roelof van der Merwe, Logan van Beek, Aryan Dutt, Kyle Klein, Paul van Meekeren, Timm van der Gugten, Saqib Zulfiqar, Fred Klaassen
Pakistan Squad: Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Salman Agha(c), Khawaja Nafay(w), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed, Sahibzada Farhan, Usman Khan, Salman Mirza, Usman Tariq
