If you’re a fan of edge-of-your-seat action, high scores, and last-over drama, then buckle up. Today we’re diving deep into the Pakistan National Cricket Team vs Sri Lanka National Cricket Team Match Scorecard from that epic clash in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2025-26.
This wasn’t just any game—it was fireworks at Pallekele. Pakistan posted a massive total, Sri Lanka came roaring back, and in the end, it was a heart-stopping 5-run victory for the men in green. Whether you watched it live or missed the fun, this article breaks it all down in plain, fun talk. Let’s get into it like we’re chatting over chai at the stadium.
Match Summary: Pakistan National Cricket Team vs Sri Lanka National Cricket Team Match Scorecard
Before we get into the nitty-gritty of the Pakistan National Cricket Team vs Sri Lanka National Cricket Team match scorecard, here’s the quick version for those of you who were somehow sleeping through this:
| Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
| Match | 50th Match, Super Eights, Group 2 |
| Tournament | ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 |
| Date | February 28, 2026 (Night Match) |
| Venue | Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy, Sri Lanka |
| Toss | Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to field |
| Result | Pakistan won by 5 runs |
| Player of the Match | Sahibzada Farhan (Pakistan) — 100 off 60 balls |
| Pakistan Total | 212/8 in 20 overs |
| Sri Lanka Total | 207/6 in 20 overs |
Pakistan made 212/8 in 20 overs. Sri Lanka chased it all the way to 207/6. Five runs. FIVE. That’s it. That’s what separated them.
And yet, despite winning, Pakistan still got knocked out of the tournament. The cricket gods have a wild sense of humor.
Pakistan’s Innings: A Tale of Two Halves
The Opening Blitz That Broke Records
When you look at the Pakistan National Cricket Team vs Sri Lanka National Cricket Team match scorecard in detail, the first thing that hits you is the jaw-dropping opening partnership.
Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman walked out to bat and basically decided that records were made to be broken. Their 176-run partnership became the highest opening partnership in T20 World Cup history, smashing the previous record of 175 held by New Zealand’s Tim Seifert and Finn Allen.
Let that sink in. A World Cup record. Broken. In a match that Pakistan ultimately got eliminated in. Cricket is truly something else.
Fakhar Zaman’s contribution? A blistering 84 off just 42 balls. He hit the ball so hard that the Sri Lankan fielders probably needed a moment to reflect on their life choices.
Farhan’s Historic Century
And then there’s Sahibzada Farhan. The man was absolutely on fire throughout this tournament, and the Pakistan National Cricket Team vs Sri Lanka National Cricket Team Super 8 game was his crowning moment.
Farhan scored 100 off 60 balls — his second T20 World Cup century in this single edition. Yes, you read that right. Two centuries. In one World Cup. He became the first batter ever to score two hundreds in a single T20 World Cup edition, breaking into territory that even Virat Kohli never entered.
In fact, Farhan surpassed Kohli’s record of 319 runs in a single T20 WC edition, finishing with 323+ runs as the tournament’s highest-ever run-scorer in one campaign. Kohli’s fans are probably still recovering.
The Middle-Order Collapse
Now, no Pakistan innings would be complete without a dramatic collapse, right? After 176 runs without loss, the team somehow managed to lose wickets in a cluster. Mohammad Nawaz went for 0, Salman Agha went for 0, and suddenly it was a scramble to the finish line.
Pakistan ended on 212/8, which, while impressive, was reportedly about 10-15 runs short of the score they needed to qualify for the semis.
Pakistan Batting Scorecard — T20 World Cup 2026, Super 8
| Batsman | Dismissal | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sahibzada Farhan | c Liyanage b Madushanka | 100 | 60 | 9 | 5 | 166.67 |
| Fakhar Zaman | b Chameera | 84 | 42 | 9 | 4 | 200.00 |
| Khawaja Nafay | c Asalanka b Madushanka | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 66.67 |
| Shadab Khan | run out (Madushanka/†Mishara) | 7 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 140.00 |
| Mohammad Nawaz | c Theekshana b Shanaka | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Salman Agha (c) | c Theekshana b Shanaka | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Usman Khan (†) | not out | 8 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 200.00 |
| Shaheen Shah Afridi | lbw b Madushanka | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 200.00 |
| Naseem Shah | run out (Mendis/Madushanka) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Abrar Ahmed | not out | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| Extras | (lb 3, w 3) | 6 | ||||
| Total | 20 Ov (RR: 10.60) | 212/8 |
Sri Lanka Bowling Scorecard
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | ECON | 0s | WD | NB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dilshan Madushanka | 4 | 0 | 33 | 3 | 8.25 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Dushmantha Chameera | 4 | 0 | 48 | 1 | 12.00 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Maheesh Theekshana | 4 | 0 | 35 | 0 | 8.75 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Dasun Shanaka (c) | 4 | 0 | 42 | 2 | 10.50 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Dunith Wellalage | 3 | 0 | 37 | 0 | 12.33 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Janith Liyanage | 1 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 14.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Sri Lanka’s Chase: Brave, But Not Enough
Early Wobbles
Sri Lanka’s reply in the Pakistan National Cricket Team vs Sri Lanka National Cricket Team encounter got off to a rough start. Naseem Shah struck early, dismissing Pathum Nissanka for just 3 runs in the second over.
Then came Abrar Ahmed — the mystery spinner who bamboozled Sri Lanka’s middle order. Abrar first bowled Kamil Mishara (who had been looking dangerous at 26 off 15), then spun one back to uproot Charith Asalanka’s stumps. Three wickets from Abrar in total, and Sri Lanka was deep in trouble at 94/4 in the 11th over.
Shanaka’s Sensational Blitz
But here’s where the story gets ridiculous. Dasun Shanaka — Sri Lanka’s captain — walked in and decided he was going to make this the most dramatic last two overs in recent T20 memory.
With Sri Lanka needing 46 off the last 2 overs, Shanaka started smashing everything in sight. He hit eight sixes in his innings — a Sri Lankan record for most sixes in a T20I innings — finishing on an unbeaten 76 off just 31 balls.
When Pakistan needed to defend 6 off the last 2 balls, Shaheen Afridi bowled a wide yorker on the penultimate delivery that Shanaka couldn’t scoop. On the final ball, Shanaka left a full delivery outside off expecting a wide call — but it never came. Sri Lanka fell 5 runs short. The stadium went silent. Shanaka stood there, bat in hand, in pure disbelief.
Sri Lanka Batting Scorecard — T20 World Cup 2026, Super 8
| Batsman | Dismissal | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pathum Nissanka | c Mohammad Nawaz b Naseem Shah | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 42.86 |
| Kamil Mishara (†) | b Abrar Ahmed | 26 | 15 | 4 | 1 | 173.33 |
| Charith Asalanka | b Abrar Ahmed | 25 | 18 | 1 | 2 | 138.89 |
| Pavan Rathnayake | c sub (Saim Ayub) b Shaheen Shah Afridi | 58 | 37 | 4 | 3 | 156.76 |
| Kamindu Mendis | b Abrar Ahmed | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Janith Liyanage | b Mohammad Nawaz | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 166.67 |
| Dasun Shanaka (c) | not out | 76 | 31 | 2 | 8 | 245.16 |
| Dunith Wellalage | not out | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 66.67 |
| Extras | (lb 3, w 6) | 9 | ||||
| Total | 20 Ov (RR: 10.35) | 207/6 |
Pakistan Bowling Scorecard
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | ECON | 0s | WD | NB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shaheen Shah Afridi | 4 | 0 | 48 | 1 | 12.00 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Naseem Shah | 4 | 0 | 36 | 1 | 9.00 | 8 | 2 | 0 |
| Abrar Ahmed | 4 | 0 | 23 | 3 | 5.75 | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| Usman Tariq | 4 | 0 | 43 | 0 | 10.75 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Mohammad Nawaz | 2 | 0 | 21 | 1 | 10.50 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Shadab Khan | 2 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 16.50 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
Records Broken in This Match 🏏
You want records? The Pakistan National Cricket Team vs Sri Lanka National Cricket Team match scorecard from this game is basically a record book on its own.
- 176-run partnership between Farhan & Fakhar — highest for any wicket in T20 World Cup history (broke Allen & Seifert’s 175)
- Farhan’s 2nd T20 WC century — first batter to score two hundreds in a single T20 WC edition
- Farhan surpassed Virat Kohli — most runs in a single T20 WC edition (323+ vs Kohli’s 319)
- Fakhar Zaman’s 99th six in T20Is — went past Mohammad Rizwan’s record of 95
- Shanaka’s 8 sixes — Sri Lankan record for most sixes in a T20I innings
- Abrar Ahmed — joint third-fastest Pakistani to 50 T20I wickets (38 matches)
- 212/8 — Pakistan’s highest-ever total in T20 World Cups
Pakistan National Cricket Team vs Sri Lanka National Cricket Team Standings (Super Eights, Group 2)
The Pakistan National Cricket Team vs Sri Lanka National Cricket Team standings after this match told a bittersweet story. Despite Pakistan’s win, they couldn’t leapfrog New Zealand in the net run rate standings. They needed a 65-run victory — they only got 5.
| Team | P | W | L | NRR | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | 3 | 2 | 1 | +1.2 | 4 |
| New Zealand | 3 | 2 | 1 | +0.8 | 4 |
| Pakistan | 3 | 1 | 2 | -0.5 | 2 |
| Sri Lanka | 3 | 1 | 2 | -1.1 | 2 |
England and New Zealand qualified for the semifinals. Both Pakistan and Sri Lanka were eliminated.
Expert Insight 🎙️
“Sahibzada Farhan’s tournament was genuinely one of the great individual T20 World Cup performances we’ve ever seen. Two hundreds, four fifty-plus scores, breaking Kohli’s record — and still going home early. That tells you how brutal tournament cricket can be. As for Shanaka’s last-over blitz, that’s the stuff of legends, even in defeat.” — Cricket analyst perspective based on match data and historical comparisons
Pakistan captain Salman Agha summed it up honestly: “If you look at the whole tournament and I had to sum it up, we underperformed.” Dropping Babar Azam for this match raised eyebrows, but the batting order experimented with sending Khawaja Nafay up the order — which didn’t pay off.
Sri Lanka’s head coach Sanath Jayasuriya said post-match: “When we don’t do well, we have to understand the hurt they [Sri Lanka’s fans] feel; we have to stay humble and accept our mistakes.”
Head-to-Head: Pakistan National Cricket Team vs Sri Lanka National Cricket Team Matches
In all Pakistan National Cricket Team vs Sri Lanka National Cricket Team matches across T20I history, Pakistan holds the statistical edge:
- Pakistan wins: 17
- Sri Lanka wins: 12
- No result: 0
Pakistan’s 58.62% win rate reflects their historical dominance in this fixture, though Sri Lanka has been increasingly competitive in recent Pakistan National Cricket Team vs Sri Lanka National Cricket Team encounters.
For a full head-to-head breakdown, check out the official stats on ESPNcricinfo’s T20I records page.
Why Did Pakistan Get Knocked Out Despite Winning?
This is the question everyone was asking after the Pakistan National Cricket Team vs Sri Lanka National Cricket Team Super 8 clash. The answer is Net Run Rate (NRR).
Pakistan needed to win by roughly 65 runs to overtake New Zealand’s NRR and qualify. They won by only 5 runs. Sri Lanka’s late Shanaka blitz ensured Pakistan couldn’t build the margin they needed. Once Sri Lanka crossed the 148-run mark, Pakistan’s semi-final dream was mathematically over — even before the match ended.
It’s cricket’s version of winning the battle but losing the war.
Conclusion
The Pakistan National Cricket Team vs Sri Lanka National Cricket Team match scorecard from the T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 is one for the ages. It had everything — a record-breaking opening stand, a once-in-a-generation individual performance from Farhan, a brilliant chase, an extraordinary final-over blitz from Shanaka, and the gut-punch of Pakistan being eliminated despite winning.
Both the Pakistan National Cricket Team vs Sri Lanka National Cricket Team squads showed heart, skill, and drama in equal measure. Farhan’s century will be remembered. Shanaka’s blitz will be remembered. And so will the five heartbreaking runs that separated a semifinal berth from an early flight home.
If you’re a cricket fan, matches like this one are why you watch the game.
Read More: Bangladesh National Cricket Team vs Pakistan National Cricket Team Match Scorecard
FAQs
Q1. Who won the Pakistan vs Sri Lanka T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 match?
Pakistan won by 5 runs. They scored 212/8 and Sri Lanka fell short at 207/6.
Q2. Who was Player of the Match in the Pakistan National Cricket Team vs Sri Lanka National Cricket Team Super 8 game?
Sahibzada Farhan won Player of the Match for his 100 off 60 balls — his second century of the tournament.
Q3. Did Pakistan qualify for the T20 World Cup 2026 semis despite winning?
No. Pakistan needed to win by ~65 runs to overtake New Zealand’s NRR. They won by only 5, so they were eliminated.
Q4. What record did Farhan break in the Pakistan National Cricket Team vs Sri Lanka National Cricket Team match scorecard?
Farhan surpassed Virat Kohli’s record of 319 runs in a single T20 WC edition, finishing with 323+ runs. He also became the first batter to score two hundreds in a single T20 WC edition.
Q5. What is the highest partnership in the Pakistan National Cricket Team vs Sri Lanka National Cricket Team match history?
In this specific match, Farhan and Fakhar’s 176-run stand became the highest partnership in all T20 World Cup history.
Q6. What was Dasun Shanaka’s score in the Sri Lanka chase?
Shanaka smashed an unbeaten 76 off 31 balls, hitting 8 sixes — a Sri Lankan T20I record.
Q7. Where can I find the full Pakistan National Cricket Team vs Sri Lanka National Cricket Team match scorecard?
You can find the complete scorecard on ESPNcricinfo.
Q8. What are the current Pakistan National Cricket Team vs Sri Lanka National Cricket Team standings in overall T20Is?
Pakistan leads with 17 wins to Sri Lanka’s 12 in T20I head-to-head encounters.
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