It’s not often that Pakistan ticks most of the boxes on the opening day of an ICC tournament. If memory serves me correctly, in the last T20 World Cup, the former champions were stunned by debutants USA in their opening match. But this time, Pakistan proved many wrong with their inspirational fielding performance in their T20 World Cup 2026 opener against the Netherlands in Colombo on Saturday, February 7.
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The highlight of the morning at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) was a moment of pure, sporting desperation that instantly went viral. In the fourth over, Dutch opener Michael Levitt, who was attacking Shaheen Afridi, unleashed a wild drive on Mohammad Nawaz.
The ball looked destined for long on until Babar Azam intervened. Babar sprinted at full tilt and plucked the ball out of the air just inches from the rope. Realizing that his momentum would carry him past the boundary cushion, he showed remarkable spatial awareness by bringing the ball back into play. Shaheen Afridi, watching the action from mid-on, completed a relay catch to send a dazed Levitt back to the pavilion for 24.
It was a defining moment for a side often derided for butterfly fingers and comical mid-field collisions. This catch did more than break a formidable 28 runs; signaled a visible shift in intensity.
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The spectacular effort acted as a vindication of the relay’s technique, which was shrouded in controversy a few months ago. During the 2025 Rising Stars Asia Cup, Indian fielders Nehal Wadhera and Naman Dhir combined for an almost identical effort against Pakistan Shaheens dismiss Maaz Sadaqat. However, on that occasion, the third umpire stunned the crowd by adjudging Not Out, citing a controversial interpretation of MCC Law 2025 regarding fielders who ground out of bounds after releasing the ball.
This decision was later widely recognized as an error by the referee. Babar’s execution on Saturday, by contrast, was textbook perfection.
Later in the innings, Babar showed it was no one-off when he took a sharp low chance to dismiss the dangerous Bas de Leede for 30, ensuring the Netherlands could not capitalize on their steady start.
With the support of Abrar Ahmed in the middle and the late double strike of Saim Ayub, Pakistan’s fielding remained uncharacteristically airtight. By clinging to their chances and patrolling the border with renewed vigour, the men in green not only neutralized the Dutch threat but also managed to avoid the inevitable first-day memes that have dogged recent campaigns.
Pakistan finished with as many as nine catches against the Netherlands on Saturday. It all started when keeper Usman Khan kept a high chance safe and squared clear – a refreshing change from Pakistan’s past wicket woes.
Captain Salman Ali Agha also joined the group that grabbed near the boundary to dismiss Roelef van der Merwe.
Fast bowler Salman Mirza was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets, while the spin trio of Mohammad Nawaz, Abrar Ahmed and Saim Ayub chipped in with two each. The Netherlands were left to rue their collapse as they lost their last seven wickets for just 42 runs – a disappointing end to what promised to be a competitive affair.
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Issued by:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
February 7, 2026