New Zealand vs Pakistan, T20 World Cup 2026 Highlights: NZ vs PAK match abandoned in Colombo due to rain

PAK vs NZ Cricket Score, New Zealand vs Pakistan T20 World Cup Super 8 Match: Fakhar Zaman comes into the Pakistan side against New Zealand in the first Super 8 game in Colombo on Saturday

New Zealand (NZ) vs Pakistan (PAK) T20 World Cup Match Today Highlights: Match has been called off. Earlier, Pakistan skipper Salman Agha won the toss and opted to bat first against Mitchell Santner’s New Zealand at the R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo on Saturday. Both sides coming into the game have lost one match each in the group phase

Pakistan vs New Zealand Live Cricket Score, Full Scorecard: Watch Here

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The Men in Green have played all their games in Sri Lanka and know the conditions better. Not only do they have that advantage, but they have picked with some wily spinners in the team. Salman Agha’s side would want their batting to deliver more consistently, which has been a bit shaky if the top order has not chipped.

As per New Zealand, it has been their bowling that took a dent during the bilateral series against India ahead of the World Cup seems to still continue from the wounds. Although they have managed to score runs its the bowlers who have not been able to back the batters. They would want their bowling attack spinners espically step up against Pakistan.

Teams:

New Zealand (Playing XI): Tim Seifert(w), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner(c), James Neesham, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson

Pakistan (Playing XI): Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha(c), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Usman Khan(w), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Salman Mirza, Usman Tariq

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Live Updates
Feb 21, 2026 09:14 PM IST
New Zealand vs Pakistan Live Score, T20 World Cup 2026: NZ vs PAK match abandoned in Colombo due to rain

We have some sad news, folks. It is the rain that has had the last laugh in Colombo. The first Super 8 game between New Zealand and Pakistan was washed out, and points have been shared.

Feb 21, 2026 08:57 PM IST
New Zealand vs Pakistan Live Score, T20 World Cup 2026: Saim Ayub lbw Jasprit Bumrah: The India-Pak short story with a twist that will worry South Africa

Not just his batsmanship, even the primal human instinct to dodge sudden danger failed Saim Ayub. If cricket, like gymnastics, had judges, they would be flashing 10s at Jasprit Bumrah’s perfect yorker to Saim. That dismissal from the India-Pakistan game in Colombo would soon become the most-watched, most-memed and most-layered clip of the World T20 so far. (Read more from Sandeep Dwivedi)

Feb 21, 2026 08:32 PM IST
New Zealand vs Pakistan Live Score, T20 World Cup 2026: Playing XIs

New Zealand (Playing XI): Tim Seifert(w), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner(c), James Neesham, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson

Pakistan (Playing XI): Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha(c), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Usman Khan(w), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Salman Mirza, Usman Tariq

Feb 21, 2026 08:06 PM IST
New Zealand vs Pakistan Live Score, T20 World Cup 2026: 11:10 cutoff for a five over game

We have an update, folks. The latest game can start, but today is 11:10 for a five-over contest. The good news is there is plenty of time left, but the bad news is it is raining pretty steadily.

Feb 21, 2026 08:00 PM IST
‘New Zealand vs Pakistan Live Score, T20 World Cup 2026: Suryakumar Yadav can put South Africa under pressure’: Neil McKenzie

India will begin their Super 8 campaign of the ongoing T20 World Cup by facing South Africa at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, in a replay of the 2024 T20 World Cup final. Ahead of the match, former South African batsman Neil McKenzie spoke exclusively to The Indian Express on what to expect from the high-octane clash. (Read more)

Feb 21, 2026 07:39 PM IST
New Zealand vs Pakistan Live Score, T20 World Cup 2026: ‘Expectation is to make 220, 240, 250. But wickets are a little different’: Suryakumar Yadav

On flatter and fresher decks of the subcontinent, Suryakumar Yadav and his batting brigade reeled out double-hundred totals without much ado. But on far more testing surfaces, they have shown the flexibility to moderate their game and adapt to the situations, which, though, is sometimes misconstrued as a struggle. (Read more)

Feb 21, 2026 07:15 PM IST
New Zealand vs Pakistan Live Score, T20 World Cup 2026: What happens if Super 8 match is washed out in Colombo?

Pakistan and New Zealand face off in the first match of the T20 World Cup Super 8 stage on Saturday but there was a little bit of rain in the air. After the toss which was won by Pakistan and Salman Ali Agha elected to bat, a drizzle came down and the covers were brought into the ground which delayed the start of the match. (Read more)

Feb 21, 2026 07:10 PM IST
New Zealand vs Pakistan Live Score, T20 World Cup 2026: Suryakumar Yadav smiles, but India’s batting bomb waits

The defining symbol of Ahmedabad is the charkha, the spinning wheel Mahatma Gandhi used, preserved in the Sabarmati Ashram, a 20-minute drive from Narendra Modi Stadium. A bomb clearly is not, but the simile sprung in the context of India’s yet-to-fully-explode top-order. “The Indian batting bomb has not exploded?” The bomb reference bemused India’s captain Suryakumar Yadav, who seamlessly regathered his wit and charm, and replied: “We have put 190 and 200 on the board.” (Read more from Sandip G)

Feb 21, 2026 06:59 PM IST
New Zealand vs Pakistan Live Score, T20 World Cup 2026: Bad news folks

Well, we have some bad news, folks, its drizziling here out in Colombo, which means we have a delayed start. We will update you as soon as we have one. Meanwhile, we will be plugging pieces from our brilliant writers during this World Cup across various venues.

Feb 21, 2026 06:53 PM IST
New Zealand vs Pakistan Live Score, T20 World Cup 2026: Usman Tariq ahead of game

“I was not expecting that I would get this much hype and appreciation from all the legends and from you guys (commentators). I’m really enjoying every moment and really enjoying my performances. I’m looking forward to bringing some more energy and excitement. Honestly, six or seven years ago I was playing domestic cricket. I don’t think I would have been that much prepared the way I am today. So I don’t know what my response would have been at that time. Yes, even this action was developed from the beginning when I used to bowl with a tennis ball. If you check my action in slow motion, you’ll see the timing is still there, but I’m moving slowly. I just try to break the fractions of my bowling action. That’s how it is working for me. It has been there from the beginning, and it’s working really well for me. We have a plan and we’ll try to execute that plan. If there is something in the wicket for the spinners, it will definitely help us execute our plans. This is another game and we are really focused on winning it. It would be a good start to win the first game of this round. Yes, of course (talking about headband). Sometimes the hair comes in front of my eyes and distracts me, so that’s why I wear the headband. And since it has been appreciated so much, I just want to keep wearing it now, even with short hair."

Feb 21, 2026 06:49 PM IST
New Zealand vs Pakistan Live Score, T20 World Cup 2026: Mitchell Santner at toss

We have 3 changes. We have gone with an extra spinner Ish Sodhi instead of Kyle Jamieson. Lockie is back for Duffy. Could be a little bit different here (compared to the conditions in Chennai), but we have seen a lot of the games throughout the tournament here and we know the challenge they possess. Should be entertaining, they got some good spinners.

Feb 21, 2026 06:47 PM IST
New Zealand vs Pakistan Live Score, T20 World Cup 2026: Salman Agha at toss

We gonna bat first. We have one change. Fakhar is playing and Nafay is not playing. We have one pacer, Faheem Ashraf - he is a good all-rounder. So we have 2 pacers and lot of spin options. They are a quality side, we know that. We have to play our A game and that is what we look forward to today.

Feb 21, 2026 06:41 PM IST
New Zealand vs Pakistan Live Score, T20 World Cup 2026: New Zealand playing XI

Tim Seifert(w), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner(c), James Neesham, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson

Feb 21, 2026 06:40 PM IST
New Zealand vs Pakistan Live Score, T20 World Cup 2026: Pakistan playing XI

Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha(c), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Usman Khan(w), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Salman Mirza, Usman Tariq

Feb 21, 2026 06:26 PM IST
New Zealand vs Pakistan Live Score, T20 World Cup 2026: Yousuf Khan on Babar Azam

"The churan of mindset is being sold very wrongly. Until you don't have the skill, the mind can't do anything. If you don't have the skill, what will the mind do?. Inzy (Inzamam-ul-Haq) Bhai and Saeed (Anwar) Bhai's level can't be matched. They can't be matched. They were very big players. Zaheer Abbas....These players were of different categories and levels. Babar is nothing in front of them," Yousuf said while speaking on the How Does It Work Podcast.

Feb 21, 2026 06:19 PM IST
New Zealand vs Pakistan Live Score, T20 World Cup 2026: Basit Ali on Abhishek Sharma

”If he is a slogger, then give us one like him — ek humey bhi de do! It is good that we get such players,” All had said on his YouTube channel ‘TheBasitAliShow’.

Feb 21, 2026 06:09 PM IST
New Zealand vs Pakistan Live Score, T20 World Cup 2026: Aamir on Abhishek Sharma

"By whatever little I have seen, if you ask me honestly, I feel he is just a slogger. He has to go hard at every ball. The day he gets going, it's fine; otherwise, uske failure ke chances zyaada hain (The chances of his failure are high). He scores once in 8 innings. Otherwise, his scores are 10, 15, 0, and 20. I don't think he is technically sound," Amir had said.

Feb 21, 2026 06:00 PM IST
New Zealand vs Pakistan Live Score, T20 World Cup 2026: Aamir on Abhishek Sharma

"Saim (Ayub) had the same issue when he came to play the PSL a few years back. He was new and was hitting no-look shots. Nobody knew his weakness because most of his shots were on the leg side. Now, if you bowl at the third or fourth stump line, he struggles to decide. Even in his last two matches, he was dismissed playing on the offside. Unless he improves his offside game, he cannot progress. Strong bowlers will always test your weakness and push you out of your comfort zone. Same for Abhishek. He wants every ball in the slot so he can hit. But at the bigger stages, or in ODIs, har ball lapete mein nahi le sakte (you cannot slog every ball in pressure cricket). Salman Agha and Aryna Dutta got him out in a similar fashion. International cricket will expose you," Amir said while speaking on the show Haarna Mana hai.

Feb 21, 2026 05:50 PM IST
New Zealand vs Pakistan Live Score, T20 World Cup 2026: Shahid Afridi on Shadab Khan

"I know Shadab, he is a very nice guy, he has always spoken to us respectfully. When people talked about us during our playing days, we always backed up our words with our actions on the field. Not against the smaller teams, we used to perform against the bigger teams, So Shadab beta, aap bhi performance kariye. Beta performances karo. (Son, please perform). We stood by you in your difficult times; you didn't play domestic cricket, yet you still got into the national team. If you want to answer us, then do it by performing on the field. Perform and we will be quiet after that,” Afridi said.

Feb 21, 2026 05:41 PM IST
New Zealand vs Pakistan Live Score, T20 World Cup 2026: Shahid Afridi on Shadab Khan

“Shadab was absolutely right when he said that we didn't beat India in the World Cups, but his side did. They got respect after that, but they couldn't handle it. After they defeated India, they could not handle the issues between them. Shadab should also know that when he was not able to perform for the team, we stood up for him on national television, saying he is the backbone of the team," said Shahid Afridi on Samaa TV.

Feb 21, 2026 05:31 PM IST
New Zealand vs Pakistan Live Score, T20 World Cup 2026: Mike Hesson on NZL batting

"We have Nawaz, we have Faheem (Ashraf) as well, who are both left-handers who can do a role there. But absolutely, I mean, Fakhar is in the squad. We know that if he's required, if we end up having to play a lot of left-arm spin and the ball turns, that the advantage of that is important. And we've got that flexibility within the squad."

Feb 21, 2026 05:20 PM IST
New Zealand vs Pakistan Live Score, T20 World Cup 2026: Mike Hesson on Shaheen and Salman Mirza swap

"We picked the best team to play that particular game for Pakistan. We made a call that Salman Mirza was coming in for Shaheen. He bowled incredibly well. To be fair, he was probably really unlucky to not be playing the second and third games. His record since he started playing for Pakistan is exceptional. And conditions have dictated that we're only playing two seamers, and often those two seamers are not even bowling their full complement," Hesson said about the pacers situaton.

Feb 21, 2026 05:09 PM IST
New Zealand vs Pakistan Live Score, T20 World Cup 2026: Mike Hesson on Babar's batting position

"We brought Babar back in for a specific role post the Asia Cup. We wanted some batsmanship through the middle, and he certainly brings that for us. And he did in many games throughout the last 10 (we have played). So, the other day we got to the 12th over mark and at that point, Babar is not the best person to come in. We've got plenty of other options who can perform that role towards the end. And Babar is actually the first to acknowledge that. He knows that he's got a certain set of skills that the team requires, and there are certain times where other players can perform that role more efficiently."

Feb 21, 2026 05:01 PM IST
New Zealand vs Pakistan Live Score, T20 World Cup 2026: Mike Hesson on Babar's batting position

"Look, it's what the team requires and Babar is well aware of that," Hesson said on Friday, a day ahead of the team's Super 8s clash against New Zealand in Colombo. "He's aware his strike rate in the power play in World Cups is less than 100 in T20s. So clearly, that's not a role (top of the order) that we think we need here. We think he's a fine player through the middle, if required when we're in a little bit of trouble, or as we saw against the USA, once he gets himself set, he can increase his strike rate at that point."

Feb 21, 2026 04:49 PM IST
New Zealand vs Pakistan Live Score, T20 World Cup 2026: Michael Vaughan on PAK players not getting picked in 100

“Fundamentally, if India can play Pakistan in a World Cup match, then surely Indian owners can pick Pakistan players in a foreign league. I can understand it is too sensitive in the IPL, but this has exported the problem to other countries.”

“You also wonder what precedent this could set. The ECB runs the Hundred, but if this informal ban on Pakistan players happens, then we know who really runs the competition, and it is not the governing body. Over the years, the BCCI has suspended several IPL franchises and kicked out others. It retains control of the competition. Would the ECB be strong enough to throw out a franchise in the future? This makes me doubt that,” he wrote.

Feb 21, 2026 04:39 PM IST
New Zealand vs Pakistan Live Score, T20 World Cup 2026: Michael Vaughan on PAK players not getting picked in 100

“The proof will come on March 11-12 when the auction is held for the men’s and women’s competition and whether any Pakistan players end up at Manchester Super Giants, MI London, Southern Brave and Sunrisers Leeds. 62 Pakistani players have signed up for the auction, and a couple of token bids for Pakistan players will not tell us very much if they are not signed. The next few weeks are going to be very important for our game. If no Pakistan players are signed by the Indian-owned franchises then we have our answer. I would then like to hear a proper explanation from a senior ECB figure,” he added.

Feb 21, 2026 04:32 PM IST
New Zealand vs Pakistan Live Score, T20 World Cup 2026: Michael Vaughan on PAK players not getting picked in 100

“The Hundred was set up to be an inclusive competition designed to appeal to a different audience, which is why the England and Wales Cricket Board has to act quickly if reports are true that new Indian owners will not select Pakistani players”.

“I am a huge fan of the Hundred, but it has to appeal to all supporters for it to have any credibility. This has the potential to turn away the large Pakistan population that lives in England and loves cricket. What message does that send about our game? If true, it makes a mockery of the stated aim of Richard Thompson, the ECB chairman, to make English cricket the most inclusive sport in the country,” Vaughan wrote in his Telegraph column.

Feb 21, 2026 04:20 PM IST
New Zealand vs Pakistan Live Score, T20 World Cup 2026: What did Mark Chapman say?

"Usman Tariq has a pretty unique action with the way that he stops at the crease, so that's something to factor in. But Pakistan have a number of really good spinners, and each poses their own threat. They're one of the teams we've played most frequently in recent years, so we're well aware of what they'll bring."

Feb 21, 2026 04:10 PM IST
New Zealand vs Pakistan Live Score, T20 World Cup 2026: Mike Hesson on Babar Azam

"Look, it's what the role the team requires. And Babar's well aware of that. I think he's well aware that his strike rate in powerplay in T20 World Cups is less than 100. So, clearly, that [batting in the powerplay] is not a role that we think he'd be best suited for. We think he's a fine player through the middle, if required in terms of if we're in a little bit of trouble."

Feb 21, 2026 04:01 PM IST
New Zealand vs Pakistan Live Score, T20 World Cup 2026: PAK playing XI

Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha (c), Babar Azam, Usman Khan (wk), Khawaja Nafay, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Salman Mirza, Usman Tariq

Feb 21, 2026 03:54 PM IST
New Zealand vs Pakistan Live Score, T20 World Cup 2026: NZ playing XI

Finn Allen, Tim Seifert (wk), Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner (c), James Neesham, Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy, Ish Sodhi

Feb 21, 2026 03:39 PM IST
New Zealand vs Pakistan Live Score, T20 World Cup 2026: Hola!

Hello and welcome to our live blog of New Zealand taking on Pakistan in the first Super 8 games. We are getting into the business end of the tournament. Both teams will be desperate to win the game today as a loss will put immense pressure as there are quality sides each team will face after this, hence points are at a premium and will be hard to make up later in the tournament.

In Shaheen Shah Afridi, Pakistan have another star player underperforming. Should he be backed for Super 8s clash against New Zealand?

As Pakistan begin their Super 8s campaign on Saturday, a question is getting louder back in Pakistan. There has been plenty of debate around Babar Azam’s spot in the XI for the game against New Zealand, particularly when Fakhar Zaman has been warming the bench. But following the defeat to India, star pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi’s position has come under the scanner. (Read more from Venkata Krishna B)

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