Pak Vs Sl: Pakistan beat Sri Lanka but miss out on T20 World Cup semis
Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by five runs in a Super 8s match at Pallekele, but the result was not enough for Pakistan to reach the T20 World Cup semi-finals as New Zealand sealed second place in Group 2 on net run-rate. The pak vs sl game featured a century from Sahibzada Farhan and a record opening stand that ultimately could not lift Pakistan into the last four.
Match details at Pallekele Cricket Stadium: scoreline and big contributions
The match at Pallekele Cricket Stadium saw Pakistan post 212-8, with Sahibzada Farhan scoring 100 and combining with Fakhar for a record-breaking 176-run opening partnership. Sri Lanka passed 148 in their chase but fell five runs short as Pakistan held on. Farhan also broke the record for most runs in a single edition of the men's T20 World Cup, finishing with 383 in the tournament.
Pak Vs Sl: the net-run-rate equation that decided qualification
Pakistan entered the game needing a very large margin to climb above New Zealand in the four-team Super 8s group. To leapfrog New Zealand and secure a semi-final against South Africa, Pakistan needed either a win by roughly 65 runs or to chase the Sri Lankan total in fewer than 13 overs; both scenarios depended on the outcome of the first innings. New Zealand ultimately clinched second place in Group 2 on net run-rate and advanced to the last four.
Team changes, campaign arc and key personnel comments
Pakistan made changes to their XI, dropping Babar, Ayub and Mirza for Nafay, Naseem and Abrar. The side's campaign had begun with a three-wicket win over the Netherlands in a last-over finish, followed by victories over the United States and Namibia and a heavy loss to India in Colombo. Their first Super Eight fixture against New Zealand was washed out in Colombo before they lost to England, with Harry Brook's century in Kandy referenced as part of that phase of results.
Fast bowler Salman Mirza said Pakistan's focus has always been on beating Sri Lanka. Captain Salman Ali Agha reflected on the match, saying that losing the toss and the dew made things challenging, that the pitch was good, and that restricting Sri Lanka to 148 was always going to be difficult. He singled out Usman Tariq as having an off-day despite past form, praised Sahibzada Farhan's exceptional batting, and reiterated that Pakistan's middle order and batting have been concerns for a few years and need addressing. Agha added that Pakistan batted well for 18 overs and that an extra 10-15 runs might have changed the outcome.
Sri Lanka's rollercoaster tournament and Shanaka's response
Sri Lanka had already been eliminated from semi-final contention when they won the toss and chose to bowl. Their tournament had earlier included group-stage victories against Ireland and Oman and an upset of Australia that sealed their qualification from the group stage, but a shock defeat by Zimbabwe in their final group game cost them top spot. In the Super Eights they crashed to defeats by England and New Zealand. Captain Dasun Shanaka described the campaign as tough, apologised to the fans for the team's shortcomings, praised the late bowling to Shaheen Afridi in the close finish, and said Sri Lanka were missing two key bowlers whose absence was a big loss for the World Cup and whom he hoped would return soon.
Aftermath, coverage and remaining Super 8s schedule
Pakistan's win over Sri Lanka was not sufficient to advance, and New Zealand progressed on net run-rate. Readers were invited to join commentary and use a 'Get Involved' button to share reactions, and there was radio commentary available for the match. A referenced report by Timothy Abraham examined the game in detail. A Flourish post embedded with further graphics could not be displayed in the browser.
The final block of Super 8 matches was scheduled to begin on Sunday at 09: 15 GMT, with South Africa facing Zimbabwe first and a winner-takes-all encounter between India and West Indies to follow.
