Kandy: Pakistan’s campaign in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup came to a dramatic end despite a narrow five-run victory over Sri Lanka national cricket team, as the win was not enough to keep their semifinal hopes alive.
With the result, both Pakistan and Sri Lanka were knocked out of the tournament, while New Zealand and England qualified for the semifinals from the group. The final will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, on March 8.
Pakistan posted a strong total of 212 runs, riding on a record 176-run opening stand between Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman. Farhan smashed a brilliant century, scoring 100 off 60 balls, but the innings lost momentum after the openers were dismissed, with Pakistan collapsing from 176 without loss to 212/8. No batter apart from the two openers could reach double figures, a collapse that later proved costly.
Chasing 213, Sri Lanka were effectively chasing 147 — the score they needed to cross to eliminate Pakistan from the semifinal race based on net run rate calculations.
Early wickets put Sri Lanka under pressure, but a crucial partnership between Pavan Rathnayake and captain Dasun Shanaka revived the chase. Rathnayake struck his second half-century of the tournament, while Shanaka launched a late assault, smashing multiple sixes to bring the equation down to six runs off the final two balls.
Pakistan held their nerve to win the match by five runs, but Sri Lanka’s total had already crossed the qualification mark, ending Pakistan’s journey in the tournament.
Pakistan captain Salman Agha admitted after the match that batting failures in previous games cost them dearly. He said the team could not finish strongly with the bat throughout the tournament and also pointed to heavy dew as a major factor in the match.
Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka called it a tough campaign, saying injuries and missed opportunities hurt the side, though he praised young players coming through the ranks.
This marks another disappointing run for Pakistan in major ICC events, as they failed to reach the semifinals for the second consecutive edition, while Sri Lanka’s wait for a semifinal appearance now stretches to five T20 World Cups.
Source: ESPN Cricinfo
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