KANDY: In the Super 8 stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka by 5 runs after a thrilling match but were eliminated from the World Cup.
In the match played in Kandy, the Sri Lankan captain won the toss and invited Pakistan to bat.
Babar Azam, Saim Ayub and Salman Mirza were dropped from the playing XI for the important match against Sri Lanka. They were replaced by Naseem Shah, Khawaja Nafee and Abrar Ahmed.
Pakistan scored 212 runs for 8 wickets in the stipulated 20 overs. In reply, the Sri Lankan team could score 207 runs.
Pakistan out of the World Cup
Pakistan had to bowl out Sri Lanka for 147 or less to qualify for the semi-finals. However, the Pakistani bowlers could not stop Sri Lanka for 147 runs and the Green Shirts were out of the T20 World Cup.
In case Pakistan does not qualify, New Zealand will reach the semi-finals from Group 2 due to 3 points and a better run rate. England has already made it to the final 4.
Pakistan’s innings
Pakistan scored 212 runs for 8 wickets in the stipulated 20 overs against Sri Lanka thanks to the smoky innings of Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman.
For Pakistan, Sahibzada Farhan played an innings of 100 and Fakhar Zaman played an innings of 84 runs. The two made a record partnership of 176 runs.
Apart from this, no batsman could enter double figures. Khawaja Nafi 2, Shadab Khan 7, Muhammad Nawaz and Salman Agha were dismissed for zero.
This is Sahibzada Farhan’s second century of the T20 World Cup 2026, after which he became the first cricketer to score 2 centuries in a single edition of the T20 World Cup.
Sri Lanka’s innings
Chasing a target of 213 runs, the Sri Lankan team scored 207 runs for the loss of 6 wickets. Captain Shanaka played an innings of 76 runs. In addition, Pawan Ratnayake scored 58 runs.
For Pakistan, Abrar Ahmed took 3 wickets, Nawaz, Naseem Shah and Shaheen Afridi took one wicket each.
