COLOMBO: Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has announced free entry for spectators to watch the curtain raiser clash of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup between Pakistan and the Netherlands, set to take place at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) Ground on Saturday.
According to SLC, cricket fans will be allowed to watch the event’s opening game free of charge.
“The inaugural match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, scheduled to be played tomorrow at the SSC Grounds, Colombo, will be open to the public free of charge,” the SLC said in a statement.
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“Accordingly, Gates No. 5 and 7 of the SSC Grounds will be opened to the public from 9:30 a.m. The opening match will be contested between Pakistan and the Netherlands, with play scheduled to commence at 11:00 a.m,” the statement added.
For those unaware, weather conditions could disrupt the opening day, with forecasts indicating a mixed outlook: cloudy skies throughout and the possibility of rain increasing as the day progresses.
Morning conditions are expected to remain relatively stable despite heavy cloud cover of around 88 percent.
Temperatures will hover near 31°C, with a RealFeel of approximately 36°C, while humidity is projected to remain high at 77 percent.
Winds from the southeast are likely to blow at around 11 km/h, with gusts reaching up to 32 km/h.
Although the skies will remain overcast, no rainfall is predicted during the early hours.
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 and 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 and Saqib Zulfiqar.