T20 World Cup 2026: Super 8 tie between New Zealand, Pakistan abandoned as rain plays spoilsport

Colombo: The excitement of the ICC T20 World Cup has now reached the Super 8 stage. However, the very first match has been washed out by rain. On Saturday, the match between Pakistan and New Zealand in Colombo did not even start due to heavy rain. Only the toss took place. Pakistan won the toss and decided to bat first. However, heavy rain followed and continued unabated.

This resulted in the match being cancelled. Both teams have to settle for one point each. The cancellation will impact both teams. Although both teams have earned one point each, each team has to play three matches in the Super 8. Therefore, every team wants to win as many matches as possible. However, if the matter gets complicated, this rain decision could be detrimental to the teams.

What's next?

Pakistan's next match is against England on February 24th. Pakistan's final Super 8 match is against Sri Lanka on February 28. Both teams are in excellent form. Therefore, this rain could pose a significant problem for Pakistan.

New Zealand's next match is against Sri Lanka on February 25, while their final Super 8 match is against England on February 27. It remains to be seen how both teams progress.

New Zealand (Playing XI): Tim Seifert, Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner (captain), James Neesham, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson.

Pakistan (Playing XI): Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha (captain), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Usman Khan (wicketkeeper), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Salman Mirza, Usman Tariq.