PAK vs NED, T20 World Cup LIVE: Babar-Shaheen partner for wondrous catch (Netherlands 93/3)

Leading into the T20 World Cup 2026, Hardik Pandya puts forward his desire to win at least 5 trophies for Team India! He bowled the final over in Barbados in 2024. Will he be the iceman of India on March 8?

We’re yet to witness the prime of #HardikPandya, and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 might just be the stage where it all unfolds 💪🔥

ICC Men’s #T20WorldCup 2026 👉 #INDvUSA | Sat, Feb 7, 6 PM pic.twitter.com/1sLIN58GyC

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) February 7, 2026

Abrar Ahmed will be the X-factor for Pakistan not just in this game but in the entire T20 World Cup 2026. Now, it would be interesting if the Dutch can play him. 

Well, Abrar gets the wicket in his first over. He keeps the batter guessing, sending back Ackermann for 20. Another timely wicket for Pakistan as Abrar takes 1/7 after his opening over. Captain Scott Edwards has come in at No. 5. Crucial middle overs phase this. 

NED: 66/3 after 8.1 overs. 

Babar Azam-Shaheen Afridi duo on top🇵🇰

An early catch of the tournament contender this 😍. Nawaz pitched it up and Levitt eyed to continue his fiery start against Pakistan. He smashed down the ground and Babar ran straighter from the long-off area. It was difficult to get hold of it but Babar does and sends it back towards Shaheen Afridi before going over the ropes. A no-look throw and Afridi does the rest. 

Superb effort for Pakistan, who have made their statement in the game after two incredible catches. You don't see this often! Colin Ackermann is the new batter in. 

NED: 36/2 after 5 overs. 

O'Dowd OUT 

Here comes the first wicket of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026! Salman Mirza has definitely outbowled Shaheen Afridi here and he picks up the first wicket in the form of Max O'Dowd (5). An off-cutter and Usman Khan runs towards square leg to pick a superb diving catch. Matthew Hayden loves the catch as well from the com box. Bas de Leede is the new batter in. 

NED: 31/1 after 4 overs. Levitt (24*, de Leede (1*).

Levitt is in no mood to spare Shaheen Afridi as he continues to score boundaries, including a huge maximum that saw the ball go out of the stadium. 14 runs come from the speedster's 2nd over.

Netherlands continue to take on the Pakistan bowlers as the heavyweights are still hunting for their first breakthrough.

Levitt fires a boundary off Shaheen Afridi's very first delivery to start on an aggressive note. Nine runs come from the first over.

Michael Levitt and Max ODowd are out in the middle to commence the proceedings for the Netherlands. Shaheen Afridi stars with the new ball for Pakistan. Can PAK get early wickets? Let's find out

Region / Territory	Channel / Platform	Notes (Languages / Coverage)
India	Star Sports (Linear TV) / JioHotstar (Digital)	Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada; regional feeds also available (e.g., Bengali, Bhojpuri)
Pakistan	PTV, Myco	Includes Urdu commentary feed on PTV Home; digital partners Tamasha, ARY Zapp, Tapmad
Australia	Prime Video	Hindi commentary available for India matches, semis, final
New Zealand	SKY Sport	Hindi commentary for India matches, semis, final
United Kingdom & Ireland	Sky Sports	English & Hindi commentary available for India matches, semis, final
USA & Canada	Willow TV	English & Hindi feeds; USA matches free online in some cases
Nepal	Kantipur TV	Select games in Nepali + Hindi available internationally via ICC.tv
Afghanistan	Lemar TV	Local broadcaster for Afghanistan territory
Bangladesh	T Sports, Nagorik TV (via Total Sports Management)	Part of broader subcontinent rights
Caribbean Islands	ESPN Caribbean	Coverage via ESPN platforms
Malaysia & Hong Kong	Astro Cricket (Malaysia), PCCW (Hong Kong)	Via CricBuzz partnerships
Middle East & North Africa	CricLife Max (via StarzPlay)	Available on StarzPlay service
In-flight & at Sea	Sport 24	Coverage while travelling
All Other Territories	ICC.tv	Live and free streaming; multiple commentary language options (Hindi, Urdu, Nepali, etc.)

It is a must-win situation for Pakistan today if they wish to boycott the India game on February 15. They would also want that rain doesn't hampers the match. 

Pakistan will lock horns with Netherlands in the T20 World Cup 2026 opener in Colombo, while the West Indies will take on Scotland in match 2️⃣ at Eden Gardens in Kolkata 🏏#PAKvNED #WIvSCO #T20WorldCup #T20WC2026 #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/3bWjDXNIQa

— InsideSport (@InsideSportIND) February 7, 2026

Pakistan Playing XI

Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Agha (c), Babar Azam, Usman Khan (w), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Salman Mirza, Abrar Ahmed

Netherlands Playing XI

Michael Levitt, Max ODowd, Bas de Leede, Colin Ackermann, Scott Edwards(w/c), Zach Lion Cachet, Logan van Beek, Roelof van der Merwe, Aryan Dutt, Kyle Klein, Paul van Meekeren

🪙Toss Update

The news from the centre is that Pakistan have won the toss and they have elected to bat first against the Netherlands. It is a sensible call, since there are prediction of rain. 

Hello and welcome to the live coverage of the opening day of the T20 World Cup 2026. Pakistan play Netherlands first up followed by the West Indies vs Scotland. Meanwhile, the major hype is around the India vs USA fixture.