Pakistan’s T20 World Cup Semi-Final Hopes Hang by a Thread

By Aftab Ahmed • February 26, 2026

Pakistan’s chances of reaching the semi-finals in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 have become increasingly precarious following New Zealand’s dominant 61-run victory over Sri Lanka. This result has significantly affected the tournament standings and Pakistan’s progression prospects.

In the match against Sri Lanka, New Zealand, led by skipper Mitchell Santner, batted first and posted a competitive total of 168 runs for seven wickets in 20 overs. Santner played an important role, scoring a resilient 47 runs to anchor the innings.

In response, Sri Lanka struggled with their chase and managed just 107 runs for eight wickets, falling well short of the target.

Rachin Ravindra was named the player of the match for his all-round contribution, scoring 32 runs off 22 balls including one six and three fours, alongside taking career-best bowling figures.

The win moved New Zealand to second place in the points table with an improved Net Run Rate (NRR) of 3.050. Pakistan, on the other hand, trails behind with an NRR of -0.464, making qualification for the next stage more challenging.

Pakistan, led by Salman Ali Agha, now face a difficult task. They must defeat Sri Lanka by a margin of at least 70 runs to keep their semi-final hopes alive. Additionally, their progression depends on the outcome of the upcoming England versus New Zealand fixture. Cricket statistician Mazher Arshad has highlighted that if England secures a 20-run victory against New Zealand, Pakistan’s required winning margin over Sri Lanka would reduce to approximately 50 runs. Conversely, a washout in the England-New Zealand match would mean New Zealand automatically qualifies, eliminating Pakistan’s chances.

“New Zealand’s big win has made the situation difficult for Pakistan but Pakistan still have a chance. They need NZ to lose big against England and then need to win big against Sri Lanka,” Arshad tweeted recently.

The pressure is now on the Pakistan team to not only perform convincingly against Sri Lanka but also to hope for favorable results in other matches to advance to the semi-finals of the tournament.

This development has been keenly followed by cricket fans in Pakistan as the team strives to maintain its standing in the prestigious T20 World Cup event hosted in Sri Lanka.