Pakistan gained the toss and opted to bat first within the T20 World Cup match in opposition to England in Pallekele
Sahibzada Farhan led Pakistan’s restoration effort because the Inexperienced Shirts struggled in a must-win ICC T20 World Cup Tremendous Eight conflict in opposition to England in Pallekele, having misplaced three wickets that left their innings in disarray.
Having gained the toss, Pakistan opted to bat first, however the resolution did not yield the specified begin. Opener Saim Ayub continued his lean patch with the bat, departing for simply seven runs off as many deliveries, leaving the Inexperienced Shirts beneath early stress.
The state of affairs worsened within the following over when captain Salman Ali Agha was dismissed for a solitary run by England spinner Liam Dawson. At 27-2, Pakistan discovered themselves struggling to achieve momentum.
In a bid to stabilise the innings, Babar Azam joined Sahibzada Farhan on the crease. The pair stitched collectively a 46-run partnership however discovered scoring troublesome in opposition to England’s disciplined spin assault.
Babar, regardless of hanging a number of boundaries, by no means appeared absolutely settled on the crease. His resistance was finally damaged when Jamie Overton rattled his stumps, additional compounding Pakistan’s woes.
Amid the setbacks, Farhan stood agency. The event’s highest run-scorer continued to anchor the innings and introduced up yet one more half-century, making an attempt to consolidate Pakistan’s place.
On the finish of 14 overs, Pakistan have been 107-3, with Farhan holding the important thing as they regarded to publish a aggressive complete within the high-stakes encounte
Earlier, after profitable the toss, Salman Agha expressed confidence within the floor, saying, “It appears like an excellent pitch, and we intention to publish an above-par complete and defend it.” He additionally confirmed one change within the facet, with Faheem making manner for Shaheen Afridi.Agha famous the recent pitch, including, “Hopefully, it’ll be higher for chasing.”
Harry Brook shared his choice for securing the win at present relatively than going through a must-win match in opposition to New Zealand on Friday. “That might be beautiful, would not it? However you by no means know in T20 cricket, it is such a fickle recreation,” he stated.
Brook additionally talked about that had he gained the toss, he would have opted to bat first, however he expects a greater floor than the one England performed on at Pallekele two days in the past, of their low-scoring win in opposition to Sri Lanka. “Hopefully, it’s going to be just a little bit higher,” he stated. “We haven’t had our excellent recreation but. Hopefully, it’s simply across the nook.”
England stay unchanged, with the identical enjoying XI for the fifth consecutive match.
Pakistan’s possibilities of reaching the semi-finals will probably be determined at present. To safe a spot within the semi-finals, Pakistan should win at present’s recreation in opposition to England and observe it up with a victory over Sri Lanka.
Pakistan’s opening Tremendous Eight match in opposition to New Zealand was deserted resulting from persistent rain on the R Premadasa Worldwide Cricket Stadium on Saturday.
That match was known as off after greater than two-and-a-half hours of steady rainfall, shortly after Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha gained the toss and elected to bat, leading to each groups sharing a degree.
Alternatively, England is main the Tremendous Eight group after defeating host nation Sri Lanka of their opening match, securing two factors.
Underneath the event’s ‘Fusion Method’, Pakistan are enjoying all their T20 World Cup 2026 matches in Sri Lanka. Consequently, ought to Pakistan qualify, the primary semi-final will probably be staged on the R Premadasa Stadium. In the event that they fail to progress, that fixture will as a substitute be hosted at Eden Gardens.
The venue for the ultimate on March 8 may even rely upon Pakistan’s progress within the event.
In response to the most recent forecasts, there is no such thing as a rain predicted round match time on the Pallekele Worldwide Cricket Stadium, easing fears of one other washout within the Tremendous Eights stage. The match is scheduled to start at 7:00pm native time, with temperatures anticipated to hover round 27°C and a ‘actual really feel’ of 28°C.
Skies are forecast to stay largely clear, with cloud cowl restricted to round 14% and visibility extending as much as 16 kilometres. Gentle north-westerly winds of 6km/h, with occasional gusts reaching 13km/h, are anticipated to supply minimal aid in what will probably be humid enjoying situations.
Humidity ranges are projected at 68%, with a dew level of 20°C, suggesting a sticky night for gamers and spectators alike. Whereas situations seem ideally suited for cricket, climate officers have cautioned that poor air high quality could have an effect on residents, notably these with respiratory points.
