Having posted 212 in the 50th match of the T20 World Cup 2026, Pakistan had to keep the Sri Lankans to 147 or lower to progress to the semi-finals. Skipper Dasun Shanaka, hammering an unbeaten 31-ball 76, nearly pulled the rabbit out of the hat before Pakistan snuck through by five runs. It made zilch difference though in the grander scheme of things, however, as the men in green found themselves exiting the tournament with New Zealand advancing to the semi-finals with a superior net run-rate.
Pakistan lost their way in the slog-overs with five wickets tumbling across the last two overs. Dilshan Madushanka was the only bowler who made a splash, returning a three-fer, while the pacers collectively aimed for the block hole. Sri Lanka’s catching malaise came to an end as they finally held onto their chances.
Stat Alert: Eight sixes by Dasun Shanaka is the most a Sri Lankan batter hit in a T20I innings, bettering 7 sixes by Kusal Perera against India at Indore in 2017.
Brief Scores: Pakistan 212/8 in 20 overs (Sahibzada Farhan 100, Fakhar Zaman 84, Dilshan Madushanka 3-33) beat Sri Lanka 207/6 in 20 overs (Dasun Shanaka 76*, Pavan Rathnayake 58, Abrar Ahmed 3-23) by 5 runs.
