T20 World Cup 2026: Pakistan semifinal qualification scenario after SL vs PAK 1st innings

England have already qualified from Super 8 Group 2, while Sri Lanka are out.

Pakistan is in a spot of bother. After England beat them by 2 wickets in Pallekele, England qualified for the semifinals from Group 2 of the T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8. But now, the Men in Green are in a precarious situation to seal that second spot. To add to their woes, Sri Lanka was beaten rather convincingly by New Zealand on Wednesday.

Pakistan T20 World Cup 2026 semifinal qualification scenario

Pakistan’s qualification isn’t simple anymore. Several things need to go right for them. Firstly, they need to win their last match against Sri Lanka.

New Zealand is now stuck at 3 points, and Pakistan can reach a maximum of 3 points as well. New Zealand and Pakistan were involved in a washed-out match, and the Kiwis now have 3 points, while the Pakistanis have 1. What makes things interesting is that even if both criteria are met, Pakistan are not guaranteed a spot in the semifinals.

Then both sides will be locked on 3 points each, and then NRR will come into play. For now, the Asian side has an NRR of -0.461. While New Zealand is at a much more comfortable position of +1.390. After the first innings of the Sri Lanka vs Pakistan match, Pakistan needs to restrict Sri Lanka to 147 or lower.

T20 World Cup 2026 Points Table: Super 8, Group 2