Sri Lanka knock Pakistan out of T20 World Cup 2026, New Zealand qualify for semis

Pakistan’s campaign in the T20 World Cup 2026 came to a heartbreaking end, despite a dominant batting display in their final Super Eight fixture against Sri Lanka.

Pakistan out of T20 World Cup

Entering the match against Sri Lanka at Pallekele, the Men in Green faced a daunting mathematical challenge, to leapfrog New Zealand and secure a semifinal spot, they needed to win by a margin of at least 64 runs. Although they posted a formidable total of 212/8, powered by Sahibzada Farhan’s record-breaking century and Fakhar Zaman’s explosive 84—their hopes were dashed mid-innings when Sri Lanka crossed the 147-run mark.

The moment Sri Lanka reached 148, it became mathematically impossible for Pakistan to surpass New Zealand’s superior Net Run Rate of +1.390. This confirmation officially eliminated Salman Agha’s side from the tournament, allowing the Black Caps to join England as the second team from Group 2 to qualify for the semifinals. While Pakistan's openers had set a historic platform with a 176-run stand, their inability to restrict the Sri Lankan middle order ensured that New Zealand would advance to the semifinals regardless of the final match result.

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Pakistan survive Sri Lanka scare

In a thrilling yet ultimately bittersweet encounter at Pallekele, Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka by five runs, but the narrow victory was not enough to save their 2026 T20 World Cup campaign. Pakistan had needed a massive win to overcome the Black Caps' advantage, a task that required them to restrict Sri Lanka to 147 runs or fewer.

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Pakistan’s innings was fueled by a historic performance from Sahibzada Farhan, who smashed a brilliant 60-ball century—his second of the tournament—setting a new T20 World Cup record for the most runs in a single edition with 383 runs, surpassing Virat Kohli’s 2014 benchmark of 319. Supported by Fakhar Zaman’s blistering 84 off 42 balls, the duo put on a dominant 176-run opening stand to power Pakistan to a total of 212/8.

Sri Lanka, however, refused to fold, effectively ending Pakistan’s semifinal hopes by crossing the critical 147-run mark in the 16th over. Pavan Rathnayake struck a composed 58, while captain Dasun Shanaka nearly engineered a stunning chase with an unbeaten 76 off just 31 balls. Despite Shanaka smashing three sixes in the final over against Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sri Lanka fell just short, finishing on 207/6 to hand Pakistan a victory that proved mathematically meaningless in the race for the knockout stages.