PAK vs NED Stats Preview- ICC T20 World Cup 2026, Match 1

Pakistan vs Netherlands stats preview [Source: X]

The Pakistan cricket team will be facing the Netherlands for the first T20I of the T20 World Cup 2026. The mega event will see its inaugural clash open with these two teams fighting at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo, from 11:00 AM IST on February 7, 2026.  

PAK vs NED Match 1 Preview, T20 World Cup 2026

Pakistan

Pakistan comes on the back of a strong home performance against Australia in the T20I series, where they whitewashed the Mitchell Marsh-led side 3-0. The Salman Agha-led team will be a confident lot after this win and will aim to start with a big win in their opening clash.

Netherlands

The Netherlands haven't been at their very best with their T20 performance recently. They lost the warm-up match against Zimbabwe and also faced a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Bangladesh before arriving for the T20 World Cup 2026. Hence, they would like to get a turnaround in the mega event.

Top run scorers in PAK vs NED T20Is

We are considering only the players from the current squad.

Colin Ackermann – 27 runs

Colin Ackermann has scored 27 runs in PAK vs NED fixtures at an average of 27 and a strike rate of 100.

Fakhar Zaman – 20 runs

Pakistan veteran Fakhar Zaman has accumulated 20 runs at an average of 20 with a strike rate of 125 in these fixtures.

Scott Edwards – 15 runs

Netherlands skipper Scott Edwards has managed 15 runs in PAK vs NED matches at an average of 15 and a strike rate of 75 against Pakistan.

Top wicket-takers in PAK vs NED T20Is

We are considering only the players from the current squad.

Shadab Khan – 3 wickets

Shadab Khan is the leading wicket-taker in these PAK vs NED fixtures with 3 wickets at an average of 7.33 and a strike rate of 8.

Naseem Shah – 1 wicket

Naseem Shah has picked up 1 wicket at an average of 11 and an impressive strike rate of 24 in these matches.

Shaheen Shah Afridi – 1 wicket

Shaheen Shah Afridi has also taken 1 wicket in this PAK vs NED fixture at an average of 19 and a strike rate of 24.

PAK vs NED key stats

Pakistan key records

• Pakistan have won 2 out of the 2 matches played against the Netherlands in T20I cricket. 
• In Sri Lanka, Pakistan have a strong record, winning 9 of the 13 matches they have played, with a win-to-loss ratio of 2.25. 
• In the Men’s T20 World Cup, Pakistan have won 30 of the 51 matches they have played.
• Since 2025 in T20Is, Babar Azam has scored 282 runs in 11 innings at an average of 35.2 and a strike rate of 117.0, including three half-centuries.
• Since 2025, Shaheen Afridi has taken 28 wickets in 23 T20I innings at an average of 21.5 and an economy rate of 7.44.
• Naseem Shah has picked up 6 wickets from 6 innings since 2025 at an average of 25.7 and an economy rate of 8.64.
•  Since 2025 in T20Is, Abrar Ahmed has taken 37 wickets in 27 innings at an outstanding average of 17.0 and an economy rate of 6.42.

Netherlands key records

• Netherlands have never played in Sri Lanka before, and this will be their first encounter in the country. 
• The Netherlands have a good record away from home, winning 13 of their 24 T20Is, with a win-loss ratio of 1.444. 
• In the Men’s T20 World Cup, the Netherlands have won 10 matches out of the 27 they have played. 
• In overall T20Is, the Netherlands boast a win-loss ratio of 1.086, with 63 wins from 129 matches.
• Scott Edwards has scored 205 runs in 10 T20Is since 2025 at an average of 29.3 and a strike rate of 122.8 for the Netherlands.
• Bas de Leede has picked up 6 wickets in 4 T20Is since 2025 at an impressive average of 12.7 and an economy rate of 5.85.
• Michael Levitt has amassed 314 runs in 8 T20Is since 2025 at an average of 39.2 and a strike rate of 139.6, including two half-centuries.

PAK vs NED key records which could be broken in Match 1, T20 World Cup 2026

• Babar Azam is just 30 boundaries away from completing 500 boundaries in T20I cricket. 
• Fakhar Zaman is just seven sixes short of reaching the milestone of 100 sixes in T20Is. 
• Sahibzada Farhan needs 78 more runs to complete 1,000 runs in his T20I career. 
• Max O'Dowd is 91 runs away from scoring 2,400 runs for the Netherlands. 
• Scott Edwards is just three boundaries short of completing 100 boundaries in T20I cricket.
• Vikramjit Singh is 100 runs away from reaching 500 T20I runs.
• Shaheen Afridi is six wickets away from reaching 134 T20I wickets and becoming Pakistan’s highest wicket-taker in the format. 
• Mohammad Nawaz also needs six more wickets to complete 100 T20I wickets.