Pakistan will face New Zealand in their opening Super 8 match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Saturday. The match brings together two sides looking for consistency after shaky group stage campaigns. Both teams finished second in their groups, with New Zealand losing to South Africa and Pakistan being beaten by India.
On the field, New Zealand’s main challenge lies in the bowling unit, which has raised concerns after recent performances. Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy and Mitchell Santner are likely to be key to the team’s defence. Pakistan are focusing on addressing their batting weaknesses, with opener Sahibzada Farhan expected to play a key role in ensuring a solid start at the top of the order.
As of January 2022, the two sides have met 24 times in T20 Internationals. New Zealand have a slight edge in recent head-to-head encounterswon 13 matches compared to Pakistan’s nine. Expectations are high, but the focus is just as much on Colombo’s unpredictable weather.
PAK vs NZ, SUPER 8: COLOMBO WEATHER FORECAST
The weather in Colombo remains a significant concern ahead of the match. Local forecasts suggest rain is expected before and during the match, with showers likely to cause a delayed start if the ground is wet. The scheduled kick-off time is 7pm local time and the temperature is forecast to be between 24 and 26 degrees Celsius with humidity in excess of 80 percent.
According to the latest update on AccuWeather, rain is expected from 14:00 to 16:00 local time and then remain cloudy throughout. Credit: Accuweather
When asked about the weather, Pakistan’s Shadab Khan commented that it is something that is out of their control and they will have to learn how to deal with it.
“About the rain, I think we’ve talked too much about it. I feel like it’s going to rain every day, but when we actually get on the ground, it doesn’t always happen. We can’t control those things. You never know it might rain in one game and not in others. So there’s no point in worrying about it,” Shadab said.
If the game is played, it means Pakistan will have to win their remaining two matches against England and Sri Lanka to reach the semi-finals.
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Published on:
February 21, 2026