T20 World Cup 2026: Is Fakhar Zaman playing today in PAK vs NZ Super 8 match

Pakistan are ready for their first Super Eights challenge of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, as they are facing New Zealand in Group 2 at R Premadasa Stadium (Colombo) on Saturday night (February 21). For this crucial match, there is one big question from Pakistan fans: whether Fakhar Zaman is playing the match or not.

ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, Super Eights (Group 2): PAK vs NZ – Fakhar Zaman returns

In the first Super Eights match of the tournament, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha chose to bat first after winning the toss. Pakistan skipper also confirmed that they have made one change for the playing XI, as Fakhar Zaman is in the playing XI, and he replaced Khawaja Nafay. However, due to rain, the start of the game has been delayed.

The 35-year-old Fakhar Zaman is finally getting match time in the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, as the left-handed batter is ready to play his first match of the tournament. He wasn't selected for all four matches in the group stage. 

See Also: ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, Group 2, Super Eights - NZ vs PAK: Toss Update and Playing XI

Why was Fakhar Zaman dropped?

In 117 T20Is, Fakhar Zaman scored 2385 runs with an average of 23.38 and a strike rate of 130.75, including 13 half-centuries. In the last five T20Is, Fakhar disappointed with the scores of 1, 3, 5, 10, and 10 runs, respectively. These poor batting forms were the reason for Fakhar's drop from the playing XI during the group stage of the ongoing T20 World Cup.

However, Pakistan's T20I batting is vulnerable right now, as the batting faced huge challenges in the group stage. While Pakistan can't afford any further hiccups in the Super Eights, just like others, batting surely needs to improve. With very limited options, the Pakistan team management has finally decided to go with experienced Fakhar Zaman for their first Super Eights match against the strong Blackcaps.