The Pakistan cricket team was eliminated from the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026, despite managing to defeat Sri Lanka in their final Super 8 match.
Pakistan Beat Sri Lanka By 5 Runs In Super Eight
The Salman Ali Agha-led Pakistan cricket team finished equal with the New Zealand cricket team on three points, but a better Net Run Rate was required to make it to the semi-finals. Once Sri Lanka reached the score of 148 runs, in their chase of 213, Pakistan’s exit from the ongoing tournament was confirmed.
Sri Lanka needed 28 in the last over when Dasun Shanaka nearly pulled off the impossible against Shaheen Shah Afridi. He smashed three sixes and a four to bring it down to six off the final ball, but left the last delivery expecting a wide that never came. Shanaka remained unbeaten on 76 off 31 balls as Sri Lanka finished on 206/7, chasing Pakistan’s 212/8.
Pakistan, however, needed to restrict Sri Lanka below 147 to edge past New Zealand on net run rate and reach the semi-finals.
Sahibzada Farhan’s Heroics In Vain
Sahibzada Farhan scored 100 and added a record 176-run opening stand with Fakhar Zaman, who made 84. But Pakistan collapsed from 176/0 to 212/8, losing eight wickets for 36 runs in the final four overs. They needed a 64-run win but fell short.
Sri Lanka had earlier slipped to 101/5 before Pavan Rathnayake’s 58 and Shanaka’s late charge kept the chase alive. Abrar Ahmed stood out with 3/23, but it wasn’t enough.
Despite the exit, Farhan had a tournament to remember, scoring 383 runs in seven matches and breaking Virat Kohli’s record for most runs in a single T20 World Cup edition.
Player of the Match: Sahibzada Farhan On Pakistan’s World Cup Exit
Speaking after the match, Pakistan’s Sahibzada Farhan, who scored 100 off 60 balls, said, “I wanted to do well for the team. I wanted Fakhar to ton up as well. The ton didn’t work for the team[‘s qualification into the semifinals], that’s why I’m sad. I have been feeling well, that brings [me] confidence. Knew I could hit whatever was in my arc.”
“All credit goes to domestic cricket. It’s brought out the habit of scoring at pace and scoring big.”
Pakistan Captain Salman Ali Agha Also Opened Up About The World Cup Exit
“I think when we lost the toss, it was always going to be challenging due to the dew. We tried to restrict them to 148. If we had won the toss, it could have been a different story. [The dew] It was definitely a factor. We couldn’t execute our plans. Usman [Tariq] had an off day, so dew was effective. We couldn’t bat well throughout the tournament, only [Sahibzada] Farhan batted exceptionally well. If someone could have helped him out, it could have been a different story. The middle order has been a problem for us in the last few years. We need to look at that department as well.”
“We couldn’t finish the way we wanted to finish. We batted well for 18 overs, but the opposition did well in the final two overs.
“If we had scored 10-15 more runs, it could have been a different story. [A target score of] 160 would have been challenging [on this pitch].”
