Kandy: Pakistan struck early as Naseem Shah and Abrar Ahmed dismissed two batters, giving the Green Shirts a crucial breakthrough as Sri Lanka began their 213-run chase in a high-stakes Super Eight match of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 at Pallekele Cricket Stadium, Kandy, on Saturday.
Earlier, Sahibzada Farhan's sensational century, backed by Fakhar Zaman's fifty, propelled Pakistan to a massive total of 212 runs against Sri Lanka.
In the Super 8 stage of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, Sri Lanka won the toss against Pakistan and opted to field first. In the match being played in Kandy, the Sri Lankan captain won the toss and invited Pakistan to bat.
For this crucial match against Sri Lanka, Babar Azam, Saim Ayub, and Salman Mirza have been dropped from the playing XI. Naseem Shah, Khawaja Nafay, and Abrar Ahmed have been included in the lineup in their place.
It is worth noting that Pakistan must defeat Sri Lanka by a significant margin to qualify for the semi-finals. Otherwise, New Zealand, with three points, will advance to the semi-finals.
According to estimates, Pakistan needs to beat Sri Lanka by 65 runs to secure a spot in the semi-finals.
From this group, England have already qualified for the semi-finals, while Sri Lanka are out of the tournament.
