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February 28, 2026

Pakistan Eliminated from T20 World Cup 2026 as Sri Lanka Cross NRR Threshold

Pakistan Eliminated from T20 World Cup 2026 as Sri Lanka Cross NRR Threshold

Pakistan’s hopes of reaching the T20 World Cup 2026 semi-finals have officially ended, despite being on the verge of a match victory against Sri Lanka. 

To surpass New Zealand on Net Run Rate, Pakistan’s bowlers needed to restrict the hosts to 147 runs or fewer. However, a defiant counter-attack by Pavan Rathnayake and Dasun Shanaka saw Sri Lanka cross the 148-run threshold in the 16th over, mathematically knocking the Men in Green out of the tournament.

While Pakistan’s bowlers, led by Abrar Ahmed’s 3/23, have left Sri Lanka struggling at 152/6 and likely to lose the game, the result is now a "dead rubber" for both sides. Earlier, Sahibzada Farhan had set a world record with his second century of the edition (100 off 60 balls), helping Pakistan post 212/8.

With this result, New Zealand has officially secured the second semi-final spot from Group 2, joining England in the knockout stages.