Watch: Pavan Rathnayake scores fighting half-century against Pakistan in T20 World Cup 2026

Sri Lanka's Pavan Ratnayake slammed a magnificent half-century against Pakistan in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Pallekele. In the Super 8 encounter, Ratnayake played an incredible knock but failed to help his team win the match. 

Coming to bat at the No. 4 position, the batter assessed the situation well and played accordingly. He punished the bad deliveries and went on to score 58 runs in 37 balls, including four boundaries and three huge sixes. He batted with responsibility but couldn't stay for long to help the team take the game home. 

He was dismissed by Shaheen Afridi in the 17th over when the match was almost within Sri Lanka's reach. His wicket made a huge difference as Dasun Shanaka couldn't finish the game either. Sri Lanka lost the match by five runs. However, they were successful in knocking out Pakistan from the tournament. 

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Pakistan had to defend 212 runs and restrict Sri Lanka to 147 runs. However, they failed to do so and are now out of the tournament. The Men in Green went in with two extra bowlers today, with the return of Naseem Shah into the paying XI. Despite everything, Sri Lanka's batters played well. While they couldn't beat Pakistan, their performance was enough to send them out of the tournament. 

England and New Zealand qualify for semi-finals from Group 2

The scenarios from Group 2 are quite sorted as England and New Zealand have qualified for the semi-finals. While England remain unbeaten in the Super 8, New Zealand won their last encounter against Sri Lanka. They were under pressure as Pakistan had a chance to qualify for the semi-finals, but luck was on their side this time. 

Now, India and the West Indies will clash against each other, where the winner will proceed towards the knockouts. Meanwhile, New Zealand will play against South Africa in the semi-final 1 on March 4 in Kolkata. The winner of the India vs West Indies match will play against England on March 5 in Mumbai. 

The Indian fans will hope for a positive result, but there are high chances of rain interruption in tomorrow's game. If the match is washed out, the West Indies will qualify since they have a better NRR than India.