The Super 8 stage of the T20 World Cup 2026 kicks off with Pakistan taking on New Zealand at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo this Saturday. Both teams made it through the group stage with three wins and a single loss each, so they’re coming in with some momentum. Both teams will be keen to start the Super 8 stage with a win and gain early advantage.
Sahibzada Farhan has really stood out for Pakistan. He has hammered 220 runs in four games at a strike rate of 164, including a century against Namibia. The trouble is, nobody else in the batting lineup has really stepped up yet. That’s put a lot of pressure on Farhan to carry the load.
Pakistan will look to Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, and captain Salman Agha to deliver this time. They need to take more responsibility, especially going up against New Zealand’s sharp bowling attack. On the bowling side, Shadab Khan’s chipped in with both bat and ball, while Usman Tariq has been great in taking wickets and keeping things tight. Pakistan’s call to go with extra spinners has paid off so far.
New Zealand has looked solid too. The Black Caps have been one of the most balanced sides in the tournament, combining aggressive batting with disciplined bowling. Tim Seifert leads their scoring with 173 runs from four matches, and Glenn Phillips seems to be back in form and he smashed 76 off just 36 balls against Canada. With Matt Henry and Jacob Duffy setting the tone with the new ball, and Mitchell Santner ready to test the Pakistani batsmen, New Zealand isn’t going to make things easy.
The R. Premadasa pitch favours the spinners and tends to play slow. Scoring big here isn’t easy and the average first innings total sits at 144, and it drops to 129 in the second innings. So, don’t expect a run-fest. History between these two teams is about as close as it gets. Out of 49 T20Is, Pakistan has won 24, New Zealand 23. With both sides so evenly matched, this Super 8 clash could go right down to the wire.
Match Details
Match: Pakistan vs New Zealand, Super 8 Group B
Date: Saturday, February 21, 2026
Time: 7:00 PM IST
Venue: R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Predicted New Zealand XI: Finn Allen, Tim Seifert (w), Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner (c), James Neesham, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Jacob Duffy
Predicted Pakistan XI: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha (c), Babar Azam, Usman Khan (w), Khawaja Nafay, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Usman Tariq
