PALLEKELE: Former champions Pakistan signed off from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup with a dramatic five-run victory over co-hosts Sri Lanka national cricket team at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Saturday, but their campaign ended in heartbreak as they failed to qualify for the semifinals due to an inferior Net Run Rate (NRR).Pakistan needed not only a win but also to restrict Sri Lanka to 147 or fewer to surpass the New Zealand national cricket team in the Group 2 standings.
While the Men in Green secured the two crucial points, Sri Lanka’s spirited chase ensured New Zealand advanced to the semifinals alongside the England cricket team.After being put in to bat, Pakistan delivered one of their finest batting performances of the tournament, posting a formidable 212/8 in their 20 overs. The innings was anchored by a magnificent 176-run opening partnership between Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman.
Fakhar set the tone early with a blistering 84 off 42 balls, smashing nine fours and four sixes before falling to Dushmantha Chameera.Farhan, however, carried on with composure and authority, bringing up a superb 100 off 60 deliveries. His innings, studded with nine boundaries and five towering sixes, stood out as one of the most memorable knocks of the tournament. Despite a brief middle-order stumble, Pakistan comfortably crossed the 200-run mark. Dilshan Madushanka was the pick of Sri Lanka’s bowlers, claiming three wickets.Sri Lanka’s chase unfolded with equal intensity. Spinner Abrar Ahmed kept Pakistan’s slim hopes alive with impressive figures of 3-23. However, once Sri Lanka crossed the 147-run mark, Pakistan’s semifinal aspirations were effectively extinguished.Pavan Rathnayake steadied the innings with a well-made 58 off 37 balls, but it was captain Dasun Shanaka who ignited the contest with a breathtaking counterattack.
Shanaka blasted an unbeaten 76 off just 31 balls, launching a series of towering sixes, including a fierce assault on Shaheen Shah Afridi in the closing overs.With 28 runs required in the final over, Sri Lanka pushed for an improbable victory. Shaheen, despite conceding three sixes under immense pressure, held his nerve to restrict the hosts to 207/6, sealing a dramatic five-run win for Pakistan.In the final Group 2 standings, both Pakistan and New Zealand finished with three points from three matches. However, New Zealand’s superior NRR of +1.390 compared to Pakistan’s -0.123 confirmed the Black Caps’ progression, leaving Pakistan to exit the tournament despite a thrilling farewell performance.
