- 23-year-old Khawaja Nafay played two T20 matches.
- Free entry announced for inaugural match at SSC Grounds.
- Pakistan faced Netherlands twice, won both matches.
Right-handed batter Khawaja Nafay is expected to open Pakistan’s innings alongside Saim Ayub as the Green Shirts set to begin their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 journey by taking on the Netherlands tomorrow (Saturday).
The inaugural match of the 20-team tournament will be played at 10:30am (Pakistan Standard Time), in which Pakistan will face the Netherlands in Group “A” at the Sinhalese Sports Club Cricket Ground, Colombo.
According to reports, for the first match, the team management has decided to play Nafay as an opener alongside Saim Ayub.
The 23-year-old Nafay has played two T20 matches, and his inclusion in the Playing XI means that the experienced Fakhar Zaman is likely to be dropped.
Pakistan’s probable playing eleven against the Netherlands will be:
Saim Ayub, Khawaja Nafay, Salman Ali Agha (captain), Babar Azam, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Faheem Ashraf, Salman Mirza, and Abrar Ahmed.
Fans to get free entry for inaugural match
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) announced free entry for fans to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 opener between Pakistan and the Netherlands
According to the SLC, fans can witness the curtain-raiser of the 20-team tournament, which they co-host alongside India from February 7 to March 8, “free of charge”, with gates number 5 and 7 set to be opened for them from 9:30am as per the local time, one and a half hours ahead of the commencement of the action.
The opening match of the tournament, however, may be disrupted as a heavy downpour is expected in the evening, with a high probability of precipitation at 83% and expected rainfall of around 4.2 mm.
Pakistan and the Netherlands had faced each other twice, with the Men in Green winning both encounters. The Flying Dutchmen are yet to record a victory.
Squads
Pakistan: Salman Ali Agha (c), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Nafay, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan and Usman Tariq.
Netherlands: Scott Edwards (c), Colin Ackermann, Noah Croes, Bas de Leede, Aryan Dutt, Fred Klaassen, Kyle Klein, Michael Levitt, Zach Lion-Cachet, Max O’Dowd, Logan van Beek, Timm van der Gugten, Roelof van der Merwe, Paul van Meekeren and Saqib Zulfiqar.
