Kandy, February 28, 2026: Former champions Pakistan have been knocked out of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 despite posting a massive total against co-hosts Sri Lanka in their high-stakes Super Eights clash at Pallekele International Stadium on Saturday.
Put into bat first by Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka, Pakistan piled up an imposing 212/8 in 20 overs, powered by a brilliant century from in-form opener Sahibzada Farhan and a blistering half-century by Fakhar Zaman.
However, Pakistan’s hopes of qualifying for the semi-finals depended not only on victory but also on restricting Sri Lanka to 147 or less to surpass New Zealand’s superior net run rate of 1.390. That task proved too steep as Pavan Rathnayake’s unbeaten half-century guided Sri Lanka past the required 147-run mark in just 15.5 overs, ending Pakistan’s campaign.
As a result, Pakistan will finish third in Group 2 regardless of the final outcome of the match, falling short of a semi-final berth.
The 2009 champions endured another disappointing campaign, failing to reach the knockouts since their runners-up finish in 2022. They had also exited at the group stage in the 2024 edition.
Pakistan began their 2026 campaign strongly with victories over the Netherlands and the United States before suffering a narrow defeat to arch-rivals India. A commanding 102-run win over Namibia secured their place in the Super Eights, where they started with a washout against New Zealand.
A two-wicket defeat to England, inspired by Harry Brook, left Pakistan reliant on other results. Although New Zealand dropped one of their remaining fixtures, Pakistan ultimately failed to overcome the net run rate hurdle, sealing their early exit from the tournament.
