COLOMBO (Kashmir English): Pakistan’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign has reached a critical juncture following a loss to England on Tuesday.
After their opening Super 8 clash against New Zealand was washed out, the defeat in Kandy has left the Men in Green with just one point from a possible four.
While England has already secured their semi-final berth, Pakistan remains in a desperate scramble for the second qualifying spot in Group 2.
To reach the semi-finals of the 2026 T20 World Cup, Pakistan must defeat Sri Lanka on February 28 and rely on New Zealand losing at least one of their remaining matches to stay in contention via Net Run Rate (NRR), or both to qualify directly.
Pakistan’s T20 World Cup semifinal qualification scenarios
Scenario 1: Direct Qualification (No NRR Required)
Pakistan must beat Sri Lanka on February 28 to reach 3 points.
New Zealand must lose both of their remaining matches (against Sri Lanka on Feb 25 and England on Feb 27).
Result: Pakistan (3 pts) qualifies over Sri Lanka (2 pts) and New Zealand (1 pt).
Scenario 2: Qualification via Net Run Rate (NRR)
Pakistan must beat Sri Lanka to reach 3 points.
New Zealand wins one match and loses one, also finishing on 3 points.
Result: Pakistan must win their final match by a large enough margin to ensure their NRR (currently -0.461) is higher than New Zealand’s (currently 0.000).
Scenario 3: Elimination
If New Zealand wins both of their remaining matches, they will reach 5 points and qualify alongside England, making Pakistan’s final match a dead rubber.
If Pakistan loses to Sri Lanka, they are mathematically eliminated.
Upcoming decisive fixtures
Feb 25: New Zealand vs Sri Lanka (Colombo)
Feb 27: New Zealand vs England (Colombo)
Feb 28: Pakistan vs Sri Lanka (Kandy)
