T20 World Cup: Pakistan vs New Zealand Super 8 opener abandoned due to rain, points shared

The opening Super 8 clash between Pakistan and New Zealand in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to persistent rain at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Saturday.

Match officials called off the contest at around 9:07 PM local time after the drizzle intensified and the outfield became unplayable, leaving no realistic window to start the game.

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As a result, both teams shared one point each to open their Super 8 Group B campaign.

New Zealand and Pakistan share points after rain has the final say in the first #T20WorldCup Super 8 contest.

: https://t.co/IDrbJnSgnW pic.twitter.com/z25oocbEly

— ICC (@ICC) February 21, 2026

Earlier, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha had won the toss and elected to bat first, with drizzle already present during the toss and covers brought back on soon after.

Both teams entered the Super 8 stage after winning three of their four group-stage matches. Pakistan finished second in Group A behind India, while New Zealand also secured second place in Group D, setting up what was expected to be a high-stakes early contest in Group B.

In spin-friendly conditions, Pakistan brought in Fakhar Zaman in place of Khawaja Nafay and opted for a spin-heavy attack with only two specialist pacers. New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner confirmed three changes, including the return of Lockie Ferguson and the inclusion of leg-spinner Ish Sodhi, while Kyle Jamieson was left out. Santner also confirmed he had recovered from an upset stomach ahead of the clash.

 

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Captains take after the toss

Mitchell Santner (New Zealand captain):

“We have three 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.”

Salman Ali Agha (Pakistan captain):

“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 two 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.”

Pakistan vs New Zealand T20 World Cup 2026: Playing XI

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