Pakistan knocked out as New Zealand reach T20 World Cup semis
#T20 World Cup#Pakistan cricket#Sahibzada Farhan#Net run rate#New Zealand#Sri Lanka#Century#Super 8s
📌 Key Takeaways
Farhan scored a century but Pakistan was eliminated due to net run-rate
Pakistan needed to restrict Sri Lanka to 147 or fewer runs
New Zealand progressed with a net run-rate of +1.390
Farhan has scored 383 runs in the tournament, the most in T20 World Cup history
📖 Full Retelling
Sahibzada Farhan's superb century powered Pakistan to a five-run victory over Sri Lanka in the T20 World Cup Super 8s at Pallekele Cricket Stadium on August 16, 2025, but the team was nonetheless eliminated from the tournament as New Zealand progressed to the semi-finals based on a superior net run-rate. Farhan's remarkable 100 off 60 balls, featuring nine fours and five sixes, helped Pakistan post 212-8, their highest-ever total at a T20 World Cup, built around a 176-run partnership with Fakhar Zaman who contributed 84 off 42 balls. Despite the impressive total, Pakistan's hopes of advancing were dashed when Sri Lanka managed to reach 207-6, surpassing the 147 runs Pakistan needed to restrict them to for a better net run-rate than New Zealand's +1.390. Dasun Shanaka's unbeaten 76 off 31 balls, which included three sixes and a four in the final over, nearly orchestrated one of the greatest chases in World Cup history before Shaheen Afridi's yorkers sealed the five-run victory.
🏷️ Themes
Cricket, T20 World Cup, Net Run Rate, Individual Brilliance
The history of cricket in Pakistan predates the creation of the country in 1947. The first international cricket match in what is now Pakistan today was held in Karachi on 22 November 1935 between Sindh and an Australian XI (see Figure 1). The match was seen by 5,000 Karachiites.
Net run rate (NRR) is a statistical method used in analysing teamwork and/or performance in cricket. It is the most commonly used method of ranking teams with equal points in limited overs league competitions, similar to goal difference in football.
The NRR in a single game is the average runs per o...
New Zealand is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island (Te Ika-a-Māui) and the South Island (Te Waipounamu)—and over 600 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island country by area and lies east of Australia across the Tasman Sea a...
Sahibzada Farhan (Pashto: صاحبزاده فرحان; born 6 March 1996) is a Pakistani international cricketer. He plays for the national team as a right-handed top order batsman. Farhan represents Peshawar in domestic cricket and Islamabad United in the Pakistan Super League.
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, formerly known as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It is located in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, and is separated from India by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait. Sri Lanka shares a maritime bo...
Pakistan knocked out as New Zealand reach semis By Timothy Abraham BBC Sport journalist Published 3 hours ago 271 Comments Men's T20 World Cup, Super 8s Group 2, Pallekele Pakistan 212-8 (20 overs): Farhan 100 (60) Fakhar 84 (42); Madushanka 4-33 Sri Lanka 207-6 (20 overs): Shanaka 76* (31); Ahmed 3-23 Pakistan won by five runs Scorecard . Tables Sahibzada Farhan made a superb century as Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by five runs in the T20 World Cup Super 8s but missed out on a semi-final spot on net run-rate. Farhan's 100 off 60 balls featured nine fours and five sixes as Pakistan posted 212-8 - their highest-ever total at a T20 World Cup. Pakistan needed to restrict Sri Lanka to 147 runs or fewer in their reply to ensure their net run-rate was better than New Zealand's in Group 2. However, Sri Lanka managed to scrape past the figure in 15.5 overs for the loss of five wickets which saw the Black Caps progress to the knockout phase. It ensured New Zealand finished with a net run-rate of +1.390 as they claimed second spot ahead of Pakistan (-0.123). Sri Lanka came up just short of pulling off the second-highest chase in World Cup history after some late big hitting from captain Dasun Shanaka as Pakistan's players went through the motions. With 28 needed off the final over Shanaka, who made an unbeaten 76 off 31 balls, crashed a four and three sixes. But with six required for a Sri Lanka victory, Shaheen Afridi switched back on and bowled two dots with wide yorkers. Earlier, a 176-run stand between Farhan and Fakhar Zaman had given Pakistan hope of delivering what had seemed a big ask on paper. Fakhar, restored to open after batting in the middle order against England, played his part with some crisp ball striking en route to 84 off 42 balls. In what was just his second innings at this World Cup, Fakhar clubbed nine fours and four sixes as Sri Lanka's bowlers were flayed to all parts. But after his dismissal Pakistan struggled to maintain the momentum - as Dilshan Madushan...
