Pakistan’s hopes of winning their second T20 World Cup title ended on Saturday. They failed to beat Sri Lanka by the required margin of 65 runs in their final Super 8 match at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.
Pakistan needed a big win to stay alive in the tournament. Batting first, they scored a strong 212 runs. It looked like they had a chance. But Sri Lanka crossed the 148-run mark on the fifth ball of the 16th over. That was enough to knock Pakistan out.
With this result, New Zealand national cricket team joined England national cricket team in the semifinals from Group 2.
Pakistan’s exit also changed the venues of the knockout matches. Now, both semifinals and the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 will be played in India.
Why Sri Lanka Was an Option for Knockouts
One semifinal and the final would have been played in Sri Lanka if Pakistan had qualified. This was part of an agreement between the Pakistan Cricket Board, the Board of Control for Cricket in India and the International Cricket Council.
Under the deal, India and Pakistan would not travel to each other’s country for ICC events. Any match involving them would be held at a neutral venue. The arrangement followed India’s decision not to travel to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
Now, the first semifinal will be played at Eden Gardens instead of Colombo. The second semifinal will take place at Wankhede Stadium.
The final will be held at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday, March 8.
The ICC will refund tickets sold for the earlier venue and release fresh tickets for Kolkata.
