T20 World Cup 2026: Sahibzada Farhan’s record-breaking century along with Fakhar Zaman’s explosive 84 off 42 balls guided Pakistan to a narrow five-run win over Sri Lanka in Pallekele, but the victory wasn’t enough to keep their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign alive as New Zealand ultimately secured the second semi-final spot from Group 2, ending Pakistan’s hopes despite the win.
Pakistan needed a massive victory margin of around 65 runs to qualify. The new opening pair of Fakhar and Farhan delivered in style as the duo stitched together a stunning 176-run stand in just 15.5 overs – the highest partnership for any wicket in T20 World Cup history, guiding Pakistan to a huge total.
Sahibzada Farhan became the first player to score two tons in a single T20 WC edition
Farhan registered his second century of the tournament and setting new benchmarks along the way. He became the first player to score two tons in a single T20 World Cup edition and also surpassed Virat Kohli’s long-standing record for most runs in one tournament, finishing with 383 runs overall.
Pakistan looked set to cross 220 comfortably, but a dramatic collapse at the death saw them lose seven wickets in the final four overs, managing only 35 runs. Instead of a daunting total, they finished on 212 for 8, leaving them needing to restrict Sri Lanka to 147 or less to qualify.
Sri Lanka knocked Pakistan out of the semi-final race by 16th over
Sri Lanka, however, crossed 147 by the 16th over despite a three-wicket haul from Abrar Ahmed, officially ending Pakistan’s semi-final chances. Still, Sri Lanka pushed for victory, led by a late assault from captain Dasun Shanaka.
Sri Lanka needed 28 runs from the last over that Shaheen Shah Afridi bowled, Shanaka began a spectacular counterattack with a boundary and three straight sixes, cutting the total down to six runs from the last two balls. Six was needed off the final delivery after Afridi’s wide yorker denied a scoring opportunity. An exciting match came to an abrupt and unimpressive end when Shanaka decided not to play in the hopes of a wide call, but the umpire declared it legal.
Check Group 2 points table after Sri Lanka vs Pakistan in T20 World Cup 2026 HERE…
| Teams | M | W | L | T | N/R | PTS | NRR |
| England | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | +1.096 |
| New Zealand | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | +1.390 |
| Pakistan | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | -0.123 |
| Sri Lanka | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1.950 |
Sahibzada Farhan, who won the Player of the Match, reflected on his second T20 World Cup record-breaking ton and said, “First of all, I had it in my mind that, we would do well as a team. The way Fakhar was playing, I actually felt that if he had scored a hundred, it would have been even better for the team. But it was my destiny to get it. Honestly, this hundred did not help the team win. Individually, it was good for me, but it wasn’t good for the team result.
(Group 2 Points table updated till Sri Lanka vs Pakistan T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 match)