Last Updated:
England have kept Pakistan alive within the semi-final race. But how can the Men in Green make it to the semi-final? All NRR calculations explained here.
Pakistan are still alive within the 2026 T20 World Cup.
(AFP)
England’s sensational last-over win against Recent Zealand kept the gate open for Pakistan to succeed in the semi-final of the 2026 T20 World Cup. Nonetheless, it won’t be easy — the Men in Green have to beat Sri Lanka on Saturday and do it with a large enough margin to pip Recent Zealand’s net run-rate.
After England’s win, Recent Zealand’s net run-rate crashed right down to +1.39, which was still significantly better than Pakistan’s -0.46. For Pakistan to succeed in second, they’ll have to win by 64 runs against the Lankans if batting first, or chase the goal in 13.1 overs if batting second, to beat the Blackcaps’ NRR.
So, for instance, if Pakistan bat first and rating 200, they’ll have to stop Sri Lanka at 136 runs. In the event that they bat second, any goal that the Lankans set them can have to be chased in 79 balls.
If Pakistan don’t fulfill either of those targets, then Recent Zealand would proceed to the subsequent round in second place. England, because of their three wins within the Super-Eights stage, will finish top of the table.
Can Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by an enormous margin?
Pakistan will take hope from the indisputable fact that Sri Lanka are in poor form and don’t have anything to achieve from this match because they’ve already been eliminated from the semi-final race. The co-hosts got off to a wonderful start within the tournament with three consecutive wins, but then went on to lose as many matches on the trot, with two of them coming within the Super-Eight stage.
Pakistan may also love that Sri Lanka don’t have two of their fundamental bowlers available for this game — pacer Matheesha Pathirana and spinner Wanindu Hasaranga — as a consequence of injuries. More importantly, other than Pathum Nissanka, none of their batters have shown enough pedigree to hold the team consistently either.
Nonetheless, the Lankans wouldn’t wish to do any favors to the Pakistanis. As per reports in local Sri Lankan media, the roles of captain Dasun Shanaka and a few selectors are on the road after the World Cup ends — so just a few members of the team would definitely want to point out that they need to stick around by performing on this match.
Is an India-Pakistan final still possible?
An India-Pakistan final in addition to a semi-final are still on the cards.
If Pakistan finish second in Group 2 and qualify for the semi-final on Saturday after which South Africa lose to Zimbabwe on Sunday, before India also beat West Indies by an enormous margin to complete first in Group 1 — they’ll play one another in one in every of the semi-finals in Colombo.
Then again, if India finish second in Group 1 and Pakistan also finish second in Group 2, then they will meet in the ultimate by beating their respective semi-final opponents.
February 27, 2026, 22:37 IST
Read More