Pakistan and New Zealand will clash in the first Super Eight match of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026 at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka, today.
Both teams finished second in their respective groups and will aim to maintain momentum by winning the opening Super Eight game, strengthening their chances of advancing to the semi-finals.
In T20 World Cup history, Pakistan and New Zealand have met seven times, with Pakistan winning five encounters, while New Zealand claimed victory in two matches, highlighting the slight dominance of the Men in Green.
Their first and most recent T20 World Cup meetings were semi-finals in the 2007 and 2022 editions, with Pakistan winning both, while overall T20I meetings show a narrow 24-23 advantage for Pakistan across 49 matches.
Conditions
The R Premadasa Stadium surface in Colombo is traditionally spin-friendly, with larger boundaries making controlled stroke play essential, while pace bowlers may struggle to contain aggressive batters on slower tracks.
Evening conditions could feature light showers, as practice sessions were disrupted by rain, and spinners are likely to dominate with Pakistan already familiar with these surfaces from earlier tournament matches at nearby Colombo grounds.
Pakistan: Expected Changes
Pakistan are expected to recall Abrar Ahmed to strengthen their spin attack, after his omission in the must-win game against Namibia, maintaining balance while avoiding major changes to a settled XI.
Shaheen Shah Afridi is likely to return to the pace attack, having missed the previous match, providing experience and wicket-taking ability to complement Pakistan’s spin-heavy approach on the slow Premadasa track.
The top order remains explosive with Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub, while the middle order will need consistent contributions from Salman Ali Agha and Babar Azam to provide stability against New Zealand.
Probable playing XIs
Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Babar Azam, Khawaja Nafay, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan, Mohammad Nawaz/Faheem Ashraf, Salman Mirza, Usman Tariq, Abrar Ahmed.
New Zealand: Expected Changes
Mitchell Santner is set to return after missing the Canada match due to illness, restoring the frontline spinner and offering flexibility in rotation and bowling options on the spin-friendly Colombo surface.
Ish Sodhi may come into the XI to reinforce spin options, helping New Zealand adapt their seam-heavy approach from India to the slower, larger-boundary conditions expected at the Premadasa Stadium.
Lockie Ferguson’s late arrival from paternity leave could alter the pace balance, with the team needing to reconcile seam and spin to compete effectively against Pakistan’s familiar conditions and strong spin attack.
Probable playing XIs
Tim Seifert, Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner, Jimmy Neesham, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy.
