Pakistan were coasting towards victory in their Twenty20 World Cup opener, but then came the spectre of the all-too-familiar collapse.

From 98-2 in their chase of 148 to win against the Netherlands, Salman Ali Agha’s men slipped to 114-7. Questions had been raised about Pakistan’s brittle middle order and they rang true in Colombo.

Pakistan were staring at defeat, only for Faheem Ashraf to rescue them with a six-hitting blitz; ultimately seeing them over the line with three balls to spare. The first points are on the board but the victory will feel like a missed chance for Pakistan to give their net run rate a boost.

Pakistan have already stated they will forfeit their fixture against India next week, and while back-channel talks continue between the Pakistan Cricket Board and the International Cricket Council, a quicker chase might have given them an advantage if it goes down to the net run rate to decide which teams advance from the group.

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