Pakistan National Cricket Team Vs Sri Lanka National Cricket Team Standings: Pakistan win but New Zealand advance to T20 World Cup semis
pakistan national cricket team vs sri lanka national cricket team standings took a decisive turn in the Super 8s Group 2 match at Pallekele as Pakistan posted a big total but still failed to qualify for the T20 World Cup semi-finals. Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by five runs, yet New Zealand sealed second place in the group on net run-rate to move into the last four.
Super 8s Group 2 at Pallekele: Pakistan post 212-8, Farhan's century and record partnership
Pakistan finished their innings on 212-8. Sahibzada Farhan made 100 and shared a record-breaking opening stand of 176 with Fakhar for the first wicket. Farhan broke the tournament record for most runs in a single edition of the men's T20 World Cup with 383 runs.
Pakistan National Cricket Team Vs Sri Lanka National Cricket Team Standings: result, chase and qualification
Sri Lanka, who had already been eliminated before this match, won the toss and chose to bowl. In their chase they passed 148 but fell short, leaving Pakistan victorious by five runs. Despite the win, Pakistan were eliminated and New Zealand clinched second place in Group 2 on net run-rate to advance to the last four. The match was also described in match highlights as a blockbuster contest in Kandy.
Salman Ali Agha on the toss, dew and Pakistan's batting concerns
Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha said losing the toss made conditions challenging because of the dew and that it was a good pitch. He said restricting Sri Lanka to 148 was always going to be difficult and that, had he won the toss, it would have been a different story. He singled out Usman Tariq as having an off-day while noting Tariq has been exceptional overall but one off-day can happen.
Salman Ali Agha was clear about Pakistan's tournament-long batting worries: it was only Sahibzada Farhan who had batted exceptionally well and the middle order has been a concern for a few years. He added the team had batted strongly for 18 overs, that in 20 overs the opposition will have two good overs, and that an extra 10–15 runs might have changed the result — even 160, he said, would have been challenging.
Dasun Shanaka praises late bowling, flags absences and apologises to fans
Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka called it a closer game at the end but acknowledged Shaheen Afridi bowled well at the finish. Shanaka described the campaign as tough, apologised to the fans for the team's performance and said he believed the team would do well in the future. He also stated Sri Lanka were missing two key bowlers, which he called a big loss for the World Cup, and expressed hope those players would return soon.
Selections, coverage notes and remaining Super 8s schedule
Pakistan made notable selection changes before the game, dropping Babar, Ayub and Mirza and bringing in Nafay, Naseem and Abrar. Observers and readers were directed to Timothy Abraham's report for more detail, and there was an invitation for readers to use the 'Get Involved' button on the page to have their say. A visual post could not be displayed in the browser for some viewers.
The tournament's final block of Super 8 matches is scheduled to resume on Sunday at 09: 15 GMT, with South Africa facing Zimbabwe first and then a winner-takes-all encounter between India and West Indies to follow.
