New Delhi, Feb 22 Pakistan's road to the semifinals became tricky after rain had the final say in the opening match of the T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8s, forcing the abandonment of their clash against New Zealand at the R Premadasa Stadium on Saturday.
The washout leaves both teams with one point each in Group 2, a scenario that could complicate their path to the semifinals. With England and Sri Lanka also in the group, a shared point is better than a defeat for Pakistan, but it may prove costly in what is expected to be a tightly contested race to enter the semifinals.
If the match had gotten underway and Pakistan had managed to beat New Zealand, it would have given them a good start in the Super 8 stage with two points to their name. But Salman Agha’s side now has only two matches left to push for a top-two finish and advance to the semifinals.
Pakistan have to face two-time champions England and the co-hosts Sri Lanka in their next two Super 8 fixtures. If the Men in Green manage to win both matches, they will reach a maximum of five points, which will be enough to guarantee them a place in the semifinals.
However, a similar washout in either of the remaining matches or a defeat could put Pakistan’s semifinal hopes in serious jeopardy. They would then have to depend on the result of other matches in the group, along with maintaining a good net run rate, as it will be crucial if two teams share equal points.
If Pakistan lose both their remaining matches against England and Sri Lanka, they will simply be knocked out of the tournament.
Just like Pakistan, New Zealand will also have to win both their matches if they are to reach the semifinals without depending on other teams' outcomes.
Pakistan will first face England on Tuesday at the Pallekele International Stadium. They have a poor record against Harry Brook’s team in T20Is. Pakistan are yet to beat England in T20 World Cup history, holding a 0-3 head-to-head record.
Overall, 31 T20Is have been played between the two teams, with Pakistan having won only nine games, while England emerged victorious in 21 matches.
However, the 2009 champions have a good record against their Asian counterparts Sri Lanka, whom they will face on February 27 at the R. Premadasa Stadium. Pakistan have won 14 out of 24 games played between the two sides and have lost ten matches against the 2014 T20 World Cup champions.
--IANS
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