Pakistan suffered a damaging defeat at the hands of England in their second Super Eight match of this T20 World Cup on Tuesday (February 24).
Salman Agha
and his team took the field at the Pallekele Stadium in Kandy and was beaten at the hands of the two-time World Champions. Harry Brook, the England captain, played a sublime knock as he scored 100 off just 51 balls, to chase down the total of 165 runs.
Although a couple of wickets in the final stages made the match interesting, Jofra Archer hit the winning runs to win it for England by 2 wickets.
Pakistan T20 World Cup 2026 Semifinal Qualification Scenario
After the defeat at the hands of England, Pakistan are in deep trouble. Salman Ali Agha and his team had their first match against New Zealand washed out, which has further deteriorated their chances of qualifying for the semifinals. Pakistan are currently with just 1 point in two matches, and sit 3rd in the points table.
Are Pakistan out of the T20 World Cup 2026?
Pakistan are not officially eliminated from this T20 World Cup, but they don't have the qualification in their hands anymore.
Pakistan must win against Sri Lanka
In order to qualify for the T20 World Cup semis, Pakistan will have to definitely beat Sri Lanka and expect the results to go in their way. There are numerous permutations and combinations which will determine their fate.
Currently, the points table is - England (4 pts in 2 matches), New Zealand (1 pt in 1 match), Pakistan (1 pt in 2 matches), Sri Lanka (0 pts in 1 match).
Pakistan Semifinal Qualification Pathway
Pathway 1
If Sri Lanka lose to New Zealand and then Pakistan win against Sri Lanka, they will have to hope for England beating New Zealand to qualify for the semifinal. In that case, Pakistan and New Zealand both will end up with 3 points and Pakistan will need a superior Net Run Rate.
Pathway 2
This is the more likely pathway for Pakistan. In this case, New Zealand must lose to Sri Lanka and England both, and then Pakistan need to beat Sri Lanka to advance to the semifinals.
Have England qualified for T20 World Cup 2026 Semifinals?
With the victory over Pakistan, England have qualified for the semifinals. They are the first team in this T20 World Cup to advance to the last four.
