NEW DELHI: Pakistan all-rounder Faheem Ashraf revealed he was riding an emotional rollercoaster in the closing moments of their tense T20 World Cup opener against the Netherlands in Colombo on Saturday. With the pressure mounting and the equation tightening, Ashraf admitted his heart rate spiked, but his belief never wavered.

Backing himself to clear the ropes when it mattered most, Ashraf produced a breathtaking late surge, blasting an unbeaten 29 off just 11 deliveries. His innings, laced with two boundaries and three towering sixes, turned the game on its head and powered Pakistan to a dramatic three-wicket win in a nerve-shredding finish.

Pakistan begin T20 World Cup campaign with three-wicket win over Netherlands

"We have been playing this brand of cricket for the past year. Heart rates go up and down, it's happened so many times before, we're used to it," the 32-year-old bowling all-rounder said at the post-match presentation.

"Shaheen (Afridi) and I were talking about saving wickets, knew we could take down whatever in one over."

Faheem Ashraf and Shaheen Afridi stitched together an unbeaten 34-run partnership for the eighth wicket to rescue Pakistan from the brink.

In pursuit of 148, Pakistan seemed comfortably placed at 90 for 2 midway through the chase before suffering a dramatic collapse. Wickets fell in quick succession, leaving them reeling at 114 for 7 in 16.1 overs, still needing 34 runs with little batting left.

The contest appeared to be slipping away until Ashraf walked in at No. 8 and flipped the script. Given a lifeline when he was dropped on seven, the all-rounder made the Netherlands pay in brutal fashion.

With 29 required from the final two overs, Ashraf launched a stunning counterattack, smashing three sixes and a four off Logan van Beek before sealing the win with a boundary in the penultimate over. Pakistan eventually crossed the line at 148 for 7 in 19.3 overs.

Max O'Dowd's missed chance off the second ball of the 19th over proved decisive, a moment that ultimately cost the Netherlands a memorable victory.

"When the ball is in the air, you just want the ball to land. Our effort is to finish the games as early as possible. But you have to hold your nerve in these situations," said Ashraf, who was named Player of the Match.

Pakistan captain Salman Agha conceded that his team won the match the hard way.

"We have to do it the hard way. Credit to Faheem. We tried well, knew they'd come hard. Held things really well," said Salman.

"(Total) 147 we'd take on this pitch. Spinners have done well in the last six months. First 10 overs we batted well, then two wickets fell and pressure came in. We need to absorb better."

He said the conditions were tough early on but eased once he got set.

"Once a batter gets set, they need to finish the game, didn't do that today. Want to change that."

Netherlands captain Scott Edwards admitted his side was not at its best but lauded the players for the fight.

"Small moments can come on to hurt you. We kept losing wickets at important times. We felt 160 was going to give us a fair chance. We had to bowl well to give us a chance. A couple of good performances from the bowlers kept us in the game.

"It's a good wicket, Pakistan got it down to run a ball, then we got a maiden and the boys jumped on the momentum."

(With PTI Inputs)