Sri Lanka elected to field first after winning the toss against Pakistan at Pallekele Cricket Stadium, Kandy, in a must-win Super Eight match for the Green Shirts to advance into the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 semi-finals.
Playing XIs
Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan, Fakhar Zaman, Salman Agha(c), Khawaja Nafay, Usman Khan(w), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed and Usman Tariq.
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara(w), Charith Asalanka, Pavan Rathnayake, Kamindu Mendis, Dasun Shanaka(c), Janith Liyanage, Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera and Dilshan Madushanka.
Head-to-head
Pakistan and Sri Lanka have come face-to-face 24 times in T20Is, with the former dominating the head-to-head, having claimed 14 victories.
However, the head-to-head record in T20 World Cups is perfectly balanced.
In their four previous encounters in the tournament, both teams have secured two wins apiece, adding an extra layer of intrigue to tonight’s high-pressure showdown.
Matches: 24
Pakistan: 14
Sri Lanka: 10
Form Guide
Pakistan and Sri Lanka enter the fixture with equally disappointing momentum as both teams have just two victories in their last five T20Is and are yet to taste a triumph in the ongoing Super Eights stage.
The home side, however, are already out of the semi-final qualification race as they are at the bottom of Group 2 standings with zero points in two matches.
Pakistan, on the other hand, are placed third with one point, courtesy of their washout against New Zealand, and thus still have the chance to qualify for the knockouts.
The 2009 champions need to beat Sri Lanka by around 65 runs or chase down the target in 13 overs to surpass New Zealand in terms of net run rate.
Source: Geo News
--Agencies
