Pakistan's World Cup Heartbreak
Pakistan beat Sri Lanka but crashed out of the T20 World Cup on net run rate, with New Zealand advancing to the semifinals instead. Sahibzada Farhan smashed 100 off 60 balls and broke Virat Kohli's record for most runs in a single T20 World Cup tournament. Captain Salman Agha admitted the squad "have underperformed" after failing to reach the knockouts.
To secure a semifinal spot, Pakistan needed to defeat Sri Lanka by a margin of 65 runs or more. After scoring 212/8, they had to restrict their opponents to 147 or less but failed to do so, with Sri Lanka passing that mark in the 16th over. Sahibzada Farhan's tournament total of 383 runs is the most ever in a single Men's T20 World Cup, breaking the previous record of 319 set by India's Virat Kohli in 2014. Farhan is also the first player to score two centuries in one edition of the tournament. In their final match, Farhan and fellow opener Fakhar Zaman set a record for the highest-ever opening partnership in Men's T20 World Cup history, putting on 176 runs. It was also Pakistan's highest partnership for any wicket in the tournament's history. Despite the record-breaking start, Pakistan's innings concluded poorly. After the opening stand was broken, the team lost eight wickets for just 34 runs in the final five overs of the innings. This marks the third time Pakistan has been eliminated in the group or Super 8 stage of the T20 World Cup, following similar exits in 2014 and 2016. The team previously won the tournament in 2009 and were runners-up in 2007 and 2022. The critical match against Sri Lanka featured a notable change in Pakistan's lineup, with former captain Babar Azam dropped from the playing XI due to concerns over his strike rate.
