Pakistan and England are set to clash in their second match of the Super 8s of the T20 World Cup 2026 this Tuesday. The match kicks off at 7:00 PM IST at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. Pakistan’s first game against New Zealand got washed out as rain just wouldn’t let up. So both teams walked away with a point. England, on the other hand started strong by beating Sri Lanka, who are co-hosting this year.
Match Details:
Date – Tuesday, February 24, 2025
Time – 07:00 PM IST
Venue – Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
There’s a lot riding on this one for Pakistan team. They need a win to stay in the hunt for the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2026. England aren’t exactly relaxed either, but another victory here pretty much locks their spot in the last four of the ongoing tournament.
Now, talking about the pitch, Pallekele is known to help the spinners. England should feel right at home, having just beaten Sri Lanka in their first Super 8 match on this ground. Pakistan, though, aren’t short on spin options themselves. Usman Tariq leads a pretty solid group, with Saim Ayub, Abrar Ahmed, Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz all ready to go. If the surface slows down even more later in the evening, England’s batters could find themselves in real trouble.
On the other side of the coin, England has their own weapons too. Will Jacks and Adil Rashid can both turn the ball and cause headaches. Jacks, in particular, was key in that win over Sri Lanka. Looking at the head-to-head, England has the upper hand with 21 wins out of 31 matches. Pakistan has managed 9, and one game ended in a draw. So, history favours England, but in T20 cricket, anything can happen.
England Predicted Playing XI: Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Harry Brook (c), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Jamie Overton, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid.
Pakistan Predicted Playing XI: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha (captain), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Usman Khan (wicketkeeper), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Salman Mirza, Usman Tariq.
