Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka by five runs but were still eliminated from the T20 World Cup, with New Zealand securing passage to the semi-finals in their place. 

Following England's win over New Zealand, Salman Agha's side knew they needed to defeat Sri Lanka by a big enough margin to overhaul the Black Caps on net run-rate, but they fell short in the end. 

Put in to bat at Pallekele, Pakistan nonetheless got off to a blistering start after the surprise decision to drop the under-performing Babar Azam, though they knew from the outset that they faced an uphill task. 

Courtesy of a history-making stand between Sahibzada Farhan (100) and Fakhar Zaman (84), they looked set to post an imposing total, but the batting faltered after the duo were dismissed, with Pakistan ending on 212-8 and Dilshan Madushanka taking 3-33.

Pakistan needed to restrict Sri Lanka to 147 to stay alive in the tournament, and they made early inroads as Pathum Nissanka (3) and Kamil Mishara (26) were dismissed inside the powerplay, with Charith Asalanka (25) following soon after. 

But a resilient stand from Pavan Rathnayake (58) and captain Dasun Shanaka (76 not out) saw Pakistan's hopes come crashing down as their spinners struggled.

Shanaka came alive in the final four overs to threaten a spectacular heist and almost carry co-hosts Sri Lanka over the line, but they ultimately fell short by the finest of margins as they finish bottom of the Super 8s group.

A thrilling finish in Kandy sees Pakistan hold their nerve to wrap up their #T20WorldCup campaign 

: https://t.co/mZvWrbZBDo pic.twitter.com/bdyS9cC8Dq

— T20 World Cup (@T20WorldCup) February 28, 2026

Data Debrief: Fakhar and Sahibzada break new ground

The 176-run opening stand between Sahibzada and Fakhar is the highest for any wicket in T20 World Cup history, surpassing the 175 set by New Zealand's Tim Seifert and Finn Allen.

In fact, Sahibzada finishes the tournament with 383 runs, which makes him the all-time record holder for runs scored at a single edition of the T20 World Cup, surpassing India great Virat Kohli's 319 in 2014.

And in his blistering knock of 84, Fakhar broke the record for most sixes hit in T20Is for Pakistan (99), going past Muhammad Rizwan's 95.