Pakistan Vs Sri Lanka — Farhan’s record century, a five-run win and Pakistan eliminated from Super 8s
In a dramatic Super 8s Group 2 encounter in Pallekele, pakistan vs sri lanka produced a five-run victory for Pakistan but left them eliminated from the T20 World Cup as New Zealand advanced to the semi-finals on net run-rate. The match combined a record-breaking individual tournament haul with late-match twists that decided progress to the last four.
Super 8s Group 2 at Pallekele and Kandy
The fixture is listed in Super 8s Group 2 at Pallekele, while tournament highlights were also headlined under Kandy in match billing. Sri Lanka, already eliminated from the competition, won the toss and chose to bowl. Pakistan posted 212-8 after their innings and Sri Lanka passed 148 in their chase but ultimately fell five runs short.
Pakistan Vs Sri Lanka: Farhan’s 100 and a record opening stand with Fakhar
Sahibzada Farhan made 100 as part of a 176-run opening partnership with Fakhar that propelled Pakistan to 212-8. Farhan finished the tournament with 383 runs, a new record for most runs in a single edition of the men's T20 World Cup. What makes this notable is that despite that breakthrough individual performance, Pakistan still failed to secure a semi-final berth.
Selection changes and on-field execution
Pakistan made several selection moves for the match, dropping Babar, Ayub and Mirza and bringing in Nafay, Naseem and Abrar. Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha said losing the toss complicated plans because of the dew and described the pitch as good. He singled out Usman Tariq as having had an off-day after a period of strong form and said the team's middle order batting had been a recurring concern for a few years. Agha noted the side batted well for 18 overs and that adding 10-15 more runs might have changed the outcome, while also acknowledging that even a target of 160 would have been challenging.
New Zealand clinch semis on net run-rate
Although Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by five runs, that result was not sufficient to qualify for the semi-finals. New Zealand claimed second place in Group 2 on net run-rate and advanced to the last four. Sri Lanka’s chase reaching 148 did not alter that outcome.
Captains' reactions: Salman Ali Agha and Dasun Shanaka
Salman Ali Agha reflected on execution, dew and selection issues as factors in Pakistan’s campaign, and insisted the batting, particularly the middle order, must be examined. Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka described the finish as close and praised the late bowling to Shaheen Afridi, saying it had been a tough campaign and offering an apology to fans. Shanaka added Sri Lanka had been missing two key bowlers, calling that absence a big loss for their World Cup hopes and expressing hope they would return soon.
Live coverage, follow-ups and remaining Super 8 fixtures
Live match coverage included radio commentary on Radio 5 Live Sport and an invitation for reader interaction through a 'Get Involved' button. A Flourish graphic accompanying coverage could not be displayed without Javascript. A separate match report was produced by Timothy Abraham. Coverage closed with a final live-blog sign-off: "That's all from us. "
The tournament schedule continues with a final block of Super 8 matches starting on Sunday at 09: 15 GMT, beginning with South Africa versus Zimbabwe and followed by a winner-takes-all encounter between India and West Indies.
