Short Score: Pakistan (212/8 in 20 overs) beat Sri Lanka (207/6 in 20 overs) by five runs in their Group 2 Super 8 match. However, Pakistan failed to qualify for the semi-finals due to lower net rate compared to New Zealand in Group 2. PAK vs SL Scorecard | Highlighting
Pakistan won the cricket. But as usual they lost with arithmetic. It was a familiar, frustrating end to another disappointing World T20 campaign for the former champions – a victory that ended up serving more than a scenic trip to the airport. They signed off on Saturday in Pallekele with a win so mathematically irrelevant that all it ensured was a dignified exit.
On their best batting day of the tournament, Pakistan finally decided to flourish, mainly by dropping the anchor that was Babar Azam and adopting a more modern approach. Sahibzada Farhan smashed a record century and Fakhar Zaman hit a 42-ball 84 to power the side to 212 in 20 overs. For a brief, deluded moment, the improbable began to resemble a possibility. Pakistan needed to defend that total by 65 runs to leapfrog New Zealand and join England in the semi-finals. It was a straightforward task – provided one ignores the chronic unpredictability of Pakistan’s bowling attack.
Enter Dasun Shanaka, who clearly hasn’t read the script of Pakistan’s Great Awakening. His sensational, unbeaten 76 off 31 balls methodically chipped away at the clean run requirement until the semi-final dream was officially snuffed out.
While Pakistan technically won by five runs, the atmosphere was more like a wake than a wedding, with none of the players bothering to celebrate after the final ball was bowled. As New Zealand booked their semi-final tickets from the comfort of their hotel rooms, the Men in Green were left holding a scorecard that proved they could conquer Sri Lanka, but remained utterly helpless against permutations and combinations.
More to follow.
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Issued by:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
28 Feb 2026 23:08 IST
