Zimbabwe beat Sri Lanka by six wickets to move to the top of the Group B points table, powered by standout performances from Brian Bennett and captain Sikandar Raza at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium on Thursday.
Chasing a challenging target of 179, Zimbabwe reached the total with four wickets down in the final over after a commanding start.
Openers Brian Bennett and Tadiwanashe Marumani piled on the runs from the outset, stitching together a brisk 69-run partnership for the first wicket.
Sri Lanka found the breakthrough in the ninth over when Dunith Wellalage dismissed Marumani, who scored 34 off 26 deliveries, including five fours and a six.
Ryan Burl then walked in and played a quick cameo to ease the pressure, smashing 23 off 12 balls with two fours and a six before being removed by skipper Dasun Shanaka.
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Pakistan became the final team to qualify for the Super Eight of the Twenty20 World Cup after Sahibzada Farhan’s maiden international century powered them to a thumping 102-run victory over Namibia in Colombo on Wednesday.
Farhan remained unbeaten on exactly 100 off 58 balls, reaching his landmark in the final over as Pakistan posted 199 in their must-win Group A encounter at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground.
Pakistan finished second in Group A standings with six points in four matches, and their qualification to the next stage marked the end of the United States of America’s (USA) T20 World Cup 2026 campaign as they slipped to third with four points.
The eight qualified teams are divided into two groups of four, with Group X featuring defending champions India, Zimbabwe, West Indies and South Africa, while England, New Zealand, Pakistan and co-hosts Sri Lanka are slotted in Group Y.
Each team will play a total of three matches in the upcoming stage, with the top two sides from each group following its conclusion will advance into the semi-finals, scheduled to be played on March 4 and 5, respectively.
The T20 World Cup 2026 Super Eights will get underway on February 21, with Pakistan taking on New Zealand at the R Premadasa Stadium, and will conclude on March 1 with a double header between South Africa and Zimbabwe, followed by India versus West Indies.
Pakistan’s remaining two Super Eights matches are scheduled against England and Sri Lanka on February 24 and 28, respectively.
T20 World Cup 2026 Super Eights schedule
February 21: New Zealand vs Pakistan – Colombo
February 22: Sri Lanka vs England – Kandy
February 22: India vs South Africa – Ahmedabad
February 23: West Indies vs Zimbabwe – Mumbai
February 24: England vs Pakistan – Kandy
February 25: Sri Lanka vs New Zealand – Colombo
February 26: South Africa vs West Indies – Ahmedabad
February 26: India vs Zimbabwe – Chennai
February 27: England vs New Zealand – Colombo
February 28: Sri Lanka vs Pakistan – Colombo
March 1: South Africa vs Zimbabwe – Ahmedabad
March 1: India vs West Indies – Kolkata
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Sahibzada Farhan’s century and disciplined bowling propelled Pakistan to a commanding 102-run win over Namibia in the crucial match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at Colombo’s SSC Cricket Ground on Wednesday, securing the Green Shirts’ place in the Super Eight stage.
Chasing a challenging target of 200, Namibia were bundled out for just 97 in 17.3 overs.
The innings had a promising start as openers Louren Steenkamp and Jan Frylinck put together a 32-run partnership. Frylinck contributed 9 off 11 balls, including a boundary off Salman Mirza, before being clean bowled.
Namibia’s troubles intensified when Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton was run out for five in the final over of the powerplay, leaving the visitors at 39-2 in 5.2 overs.
The slide continued as Steenkamp fell for 23 off 22 balls, hitting three fours and a six before Mohammad Nawaz dismissed him. Skipper Gerhard Erasmus managed only seven before Shadab Khan took his wicket.
Alexander Busing-Volschenk tried to stabilise the innings with 20 off 20 deliveries but was soon trapped by Shadab, who claimed his second wicket. Namibia were reduced to 79-5 in 12.3 overs.
Usman Tariq further tightened Pakistan’s grip, dismissing JJ Smit for nine and Ruben Trumpelmann for a duck, leaving Namibia at 81-7 in 13.3 overs.
Shadab then claimed his third, removing Zane Green (7), while Tariq picked up two more wickets, dismissing Bernard Scholtz (1) and Willem Myburgh (8) to complete a comprehensive Pakistan bowling performance.
Tariq recorded impressive figures of 4/16 in 3.3 overs, while Shadab Khan claimed three wickets. Salman Mirza and Mohammad Nawaz chipped in with one wicket each.
Batting first, Pakistan got off to a solid start, with openers Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan scoring freely from the outset to provide an early advantage.
However, the 40-run opening stand was broken when Saim Ayub was dismissed by Jack Brassell for 14 off 12 balls, including two fours.
Captain Salman Ali Agha then joined Farhan and put together a 67-run partnership for the second wicket, easing the pressure and taking the team past the 100-run mark.
Farhan was in fine form, continuing to pile on crucial runs with boundaries, reaching his 10th T20I fifty.
The partnership was eventually broken as Brassell struck again, removing Agha for 38 off 23 balls, with three fours and two sixes, leaving Pakistan at 107-2 in 12.1 overs.
Surprisingly, Babar Azam did not come in at number three; instead, Khawaja Nafay was sent to the crease.
However, his innings was brief, as he was dismissed for a run-a-ball five, which included one boundary, by captain Gerhard Erasmus.
Shadab Khan came to bat and initially struggled, but Farhan continued his sublime form, hitting boundaries and taking Pakistan past the 150-run mark.
Farhan kept the momentum going, bringing up his maiden T20 century and joining Ahmed Shehzad as only the second Pakistani batter to score a ton in a T20 World Cup.
The duo added a 50-run stand for the fourth wicket, with Shadab gaining momentum and piling on runs.
The innings concluded with Farhan unbeaten on 100 off 58 deliveries, hitting 11 fours and four sixes, while Shadab finished on 36 off 22 balls, including one four and three sixes.
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Sahibzada Farhan’s stunning century on Wednesday powered Pakistan to 199-3 setting a 200-run target against Namibia in crucial T20 World Cup group stage match being played at the SSC Cricket Ground in Sri Lanka’s Colombo.
Batting first, Pakistan got off to a solid start, with openers Saim Ayub and Farhan scoring freely from the outset to provide an early advantage.
However, the 40-run opening stand was broken when Saim was dismissed by Jack Brassell for 14 off 12 balls, including two fours.
Captain Salman Ali Agha then joined Farhan and put together a 67-run partnership for the second wicket, easing the pressure and taking the team past the 100-run mark.
Farhan was in fine form, continuing to pile on crucial runs with boundaries, reaching his 10th T20I fifty.
The partnership was eventually broken as Brassell struck again, removing Agha for 38 off 23 balls, with three fours and two sixes, leaving Pakistan at 107-2 in 12.1 overs.
Surprisingly, Babar Azam did not come in at number three; instead, Khawaja Nafay was sent to the crease.
However, his innings was brief, as he was dismissed for a run-a-ball five, which included one boundary, by captain Gerhard Erasmus.
Shadab Khan came to bat and initially struggled, but Farhan continued his sublime form, hitting boundaries and taking Pakistan past the 150-run mark.
Farhan kept the momentum going, bringing up his maiden T20I century and joining Ahmed Shehzad as only the second Pakistani batter to score a ton in a T20 World Cup.
The duo added a 50-run stand for the fourth wicket, with Shadab gaining momentum and piling on runs.
The innings concluded with Farhan unbeaten on 100 off 58 deliveries, hitting 11 fours and four sixes, while Shadab finished on 36 off 22 balls, including one four and three sixes.
Playing XIs
Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha (c), Babar Azam, Usman Khan (wk), Khawaja Nafay, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Salman Mirza and Usman Tariq.
Namibia: Louren Steenkamp, Jan Frylinck, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Gerhard Erasmus (c), Alexander Volschenk, JJ Smit, Zane Green (wk), Ruben Trumpelmann, Willem Myburgh, Bernard Scholtz and Jack Brassell.
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Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has announced free entry for fans for Wednesday’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 group match between Pakistan and Namibia at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground.
According to SLC, the final match of the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at the venue will be open to fans free of charge, with gates five and seven opening at 1:00pm local time, two hours before the start.
“Gates 5 and 7 of the SSC Grounds, Colombo, will be kept open for the public to enter and witness the Pakistan vs Namibia match, ‘Free-of-Charge.’ The game will be played tomorrow (18 February),” the SLC said in a statement.
“The gates will open at 1:00pm, and the match will commence at 3:00 pm.
“Tomorrow’s fixture will be the fifth World Cup match hosted at the SSC and also the final game at the venue for this tournament.
“The ground has already made history during the ongoing T20 World Cup, having hosted the inaugural match of the tournament as well as its first-ever under-lights international game.”
The upcoming fixture, however, may be disrupted as the weather forecast indicates around 60% chance of showers.
The region is currently experiencing thunderstorms, with a temperature of 29°C, feeling like 30°C. Northern winds are blowing at 19 km/h, gusting up to 37 km/h.
Notably, the upcoming match is crucial for Pakistan as they need to win it to qualify for the Super Eights by finishing second in Group A standings with six points.
Meanwhile, if the match gets washed out due to rain, Pakistan would still advance due to points split, which would take their tally to five, one more than that of second-placed United States of America (USA).
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Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has announced free entry for fans for Wednesday’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 group match between Pakistan and Namibia at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground.
According to SLC, the final match of the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at the venue will be open to fans free of charge, with gates five and seven opening at 1:00pm local time, two hours before the start.
“Gates 5 and 7 of the SSC Grounds, Colombo, will be kept open for the public to enter and witness the Pakistan vs Namibia match, ‘Free-of-Charge.’ The game will be played tomorrow (18 February),” the SLC said in a statement.
“The gates will open at 1:00pm, and the match will commence at 3:00 pm.
“Tomorrow’s fixture will be the fifth World Cup match hosted at the SSC and also the final game at the venue for this tournament.
“The ground has already made history during the ongoing T20 World Cup, having hosted the inaugural match of the tournament as well as its first-ever under-lights international game.”
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Zimbabwe have advanced to the Super Eight stage of the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 after their Group D match against Ireland was abandoned due to persistent rain at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.
Continuous downpours left the outfield waterlogged, and the fixture was called off before the toss could take place.
The washout confirmed Zimbabwe’s progression to the next round while ending the Super Eight hopes of both Australia and Ireland. Despite having one remaining group match against Oman, Australia are now out of contention for a place in the next stage.
Ireland were also eliminated following the abandoned fixture, bringing their campaign to a premature end.
Placed third in the group with one win and two defeats, Australia would have needed a victory over Oman in their final match to move to four points — still short of Zimbabwe’s five points after their rain-affected clash with Ireland.
Meanwhile, Ireland concluded their campaign with one win, two defeats and one no result from four matches, finishing with three points.
It is pertinent to mention that Zimbabwe have been in impressive form throughout the tournament, winning their first two group-stage matches against Oman and Australia.
In their opener, the Chevrons restricted Oman to 103, comfortably chasing the target in 13.3 overs while losing just two wickets.
In their second match against Australia, Zimbabwe posted 169-2 in 20 overs, setting a target of 170. Australia fell short, being bowled out for 146 in 19.3 overs, handing Zimbabwe a 23-run victory.
For the unversed, Zimbabwe, led by Raza, will now face Sri Lanka in their final group-stage match on Thursday at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium.
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Sri Lanka on Monday inflicted an eight-wicket defeat on Australia to seal Super Eight spot during the ongoing the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.
The victory marked Sri Lanka’s third in as many matches and propelled them into the Super Eights stage.
Set to chase 182, the home side struck the winning runs for the loss of just two wickets and 12 balls to spare, courtesy of an anchoring 97-run partnership for the second wicket.
The co-hosts got off to a contrasting start to the pursuit as left-handed opener Kusal Perera (one) fell victim to Marcus Stoinis in the second over with just eight runs on the board.
Following the early setback, Mendis joined Nissanka in the middle, and the duo forced an astounding recovery by putting together 97 runs at a brisk pace.
The crucial partnership was eventually broken by Stoinis in the 13th over by dismissing Mendis, who made an important 51 off 38 deliveries with the help of six sixes and a four.
Nissanka, on the other hand, continued the onslaught and ultimately steered Sri Lanka over the line in the 18th over with an unbeaten century, scoring 100 off 52 deliveries, studded with 10 fours and five sixes.
He was supported by middle-order Pavan Rathnayake, who made 28 not out from 15 balls with the help of six fours.
Stoinis, who returned expensive bowling figures of 2/46 in his four overs, remained the solitary wicket-taker for Australia.
Put into bat first, Australia registered a formidable total of 181 all out in 20 overs, courtesy of half-centuries from their opening pair of Travis Head and captain Mitchell Marsh.
Marsh and Head gave Australia a blazing start by putting together 104 runs inside nine overs, with both scoring half-centuries, but their middle order failed to relay the momentum, and the 2021 champions had to settle for below 200.
Head remained the top-scorer for Australia with a 29-ball 56, followed by Marsh, who made 54 off 27 deliveries, while Josh Inglis (27) and Glenn Maxwell (22) were the other two to amass double figures.
Dushan Hemantha spearheaded Sri Lanka’s bowling charge with three wickets for 37 runs in his four overs, followed by Dushmantha Chameera with two, while Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage and Kamindu Mendis chipped in with one scalp apiece.
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Pakistan suffered a 61-run defeat against India in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 group-stage clash at R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, on Sunday.
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India posted a 176-run target for Pakistan in the ICC Men’s World Cup 2026 high-voltage clash at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Sunday.
Pakistan’s spin strategy paid dividends with Saim Ayub grabbing crucial wickets of Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya to stall India’s aggressive run flow during the high-voltage ICC Men’s T20 World Cup clash at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Sunday.
Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha struck in the opening over, dismissing Abhishek Sharma for a duck, but Ishan Kishan fought back and hit boundaries to get his side back on track.
Kishan stabilised India’s innings by scoring 77 runs off 40 balls, featuring 10 fours and 3 sixes. However, Ayub removed Kishan during the ninth over.
Pakistan have decided to bowl first after winning the toss.
Both Pakistan and India have so far played two matches in the tournament, gaining four points each; however, the Indian side currently tops the points table courtesy of their net run rate, with Pakistan in the second spot.
Historically, the two teams have faced each other 16 times in the shortest, with India leading the head-to-head record with 13 wins, while Pakistan emerged victorious thrice.
The match will mark the first time both teams will be facing each other since last year’s Asia Cup final, a tense event staged following military conflict between India and Pakistan that nearly escalated into a fully-fledged war between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
The latest meeting comes against the backdrop of a tumultuous fortnight in which Pakistan’s boycott threat — later reversed — nearly blew a hole in the tournament’s marquee fixture.
Playing XIs
Pakistan: Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Agha(c), Babar Azam, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Usman Khan(w), Shaheen Afridi, Abrar Ahmed and Usman Tariq.
India: Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan(w), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy and Jasprit Bumrah.
