(Image source from: sports.ndtv.com)
Pakistan faced a challenging defeat from England in the Super 8s of the T20 World Cup 2026. Led by Salman Agha, the team lost by two wickets on Tuesday, February 24, putting them in a tough situation in the tournament. After participating in two matches in the Super 8s, Pakistan has only managed to earn one point and is at risk of leaving the competition early. Is it possible for Pakistan to advance to the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup from this point? Yes, it is still possible. However, the situation is not in their control anymore. England has already secured a spot in the semi-finals from Group 2, which means that New Zealand, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka are vying for the second position. Here lies Pakistan’s drawback: they are the only team besides England that has played two matches in the Super 8s. Pakistan needs to achieve victory against Sri Lanka and rely on both Sri Lanka and England to defeat New Zealand. This way, New Zealand will end up with just one point, and Sri Lanka will finish with two points, eliminating them both while allowing Pakistan to qualify with three points.
New Zealand must win only one of their final two matches, and Pakistan should defeat Sri Lanka by a significant score to surpass the Kiwis' net run rate. As a result, Pakistan will conclude with three points and advance to the semi-finals due to a better net run rate, while New Zealand will be eliminated with three points, and Sri Lanka will either finish with two or zero points. Another advantage for Pakistan is that they will play their last game a day after New Zealand on February 28. Therefore, if they are still in the race by then, they will know how to approach their last match to secure a spot in the semi-finals. On Tuesday, Harry Brook's standout performance was what led to Pakistan's loss. Batting at the No. 3 position for the first time in his limited-overs career with England, Brook became the first captain to achieve a century in a T20 World Cup. With his remarkable performance, England chased down 165 runs with five balls left, marking a memorable win.
Earlier, Pakistan set a total of 164 for nine in their 20 overs, a respectable score, but not particularly dominating on a good batting pitch. Sahibzada Farhan was the key player for Pakistan, scoring a smooth 63 off 45 balls, hitting seven fours and two sixes.
Fakhar Zaman contributed 25 off 16, while Shadab Khan’s late burst of 23 off 11 gave important momentum. Nonetheless, losing wickets at regular intervals hindered Pakistan's advancement, and Liam Dawson’s impressive bowling of three for 24 kept them under control. In response, Pakistan made an early breakthrough with Shaheen Shah Afridi, who bowled an exciting spell of four for 30. He dismissed Phil Salt and Jos Buttler early on and later took Brook’s wicket after his century of 100 from 51 balls. Usman Tariq also bowled well, achieving figures of 4-0-31-2. Despite putting pressure at several points in the game, Pakistan struggled in the final moments.
