Max O’Dowd Targeted With Online Criticism After Costly Catch Drop Vs Pakistan

Star Netherlands opener Max O’Dowd received immense hatred from the Indian audience after he dropped Pakistan’s Faheem Ashraf in the opening game of the 2026 T20 World Cup, and the latter went on to play a late cameo to take his team to a nervy three-wicket win.

Pakistan needed 29 from 12 deliveries with three wickets in hand. Left-hander Ashraf began with a six off pacer Logan van Beek, but his next shot was mis-timed and sailed to long-off, only for O’Dowd to spill a crucial catch.

Ashraf capitalised on the reprieve, blasting 24 runs in that over, including three sixes and a four, to turn the game on its head and bag full points for Pakistan.

After the match, O’Dowd faced a flood of abusive comments on social media, on his Instagram post, as

fans blamed him for the dropped catch.

Ashraf later said he never felt the pressure, even as the dot balls piled up, because he knew that a single good over could swing the game in Pakistan’s favour.

“There were dot balls, but we did not take much pressure. We thought we just needed one good over and the match would turn in our favour. Because of that, we kept our nerves in check and believed that even if we played till the last ball, we would win,” Ashraf said while speaking at the post-match press conference.

For the star all-rounder, more than happiness, winning a game for Pakistan gives him peace.

“You feel that the team was in such a bad situation, but you still won. The most peaceful feeling is that you have won the first match of the World Cup and you scored the winning runs,” Ashraf said.

The star allrounder, a designated finisher for the team who had also played a cameo against India in the Asia Cup (albeit in a losing effort), declined to comment on whether this was his best knock.