Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has announced that entry to the opening match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 between Pakistan and the Netherlands will be free for fans. The match is set to take place on Saturday at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) Ground.
According to SLC, spectators can enter through Gates 5 and 7 from 9:30 a.m. local time, 90 minutes before the scheduled start of play at 11:00 a.m. This curtain-raiser will kick off the 20-team tournament, co-hosted by Sri Lanka and India from February 7 to March 8.
However, the match could face interruptions due to weather, with heavy showers forecasted in the evening. Meteorologists have predicted an 83 percent chance of rain, with approximately 4.2 mm expected.
In terms of head-to-head history, Pakistan has beaten the Netherlands in both of their previous encounters, leaving the Flying Dutchmen yet to register a win against the Men in Green.
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, 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, Saqib Zulfiqar.
