Shanaka’s heroics eliminate Pakistan as Lanka suffer last-ball heartbreak

Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka’s fighting knock of 76 runs was not enough as Pakistan edged past the hosts for a five-run victory in their final match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at the Pallekele International Stadium in Kandy on Saturday.

Despite the narrow win, Pakistan were knocked out of the tournament. After scoring 212 while batting first, Pakistan needed to restrict Sri Lanka to 147 runs to go past New Zealand on Net Run Rate. However, Sri Lanka finished on 207, falling short of the target but still ending Pakistan’s campaign.

Chasing a big total, Sri Lanka got off to a poor start when Naseem Shah, playing his first match of the tournament, dismissed opener Pathum Nissanka in the second over. Nissanka scored just three runs from seven balls.

Kamil Mishara then counterattacked by hitting Shaheen Afridi for a six and two fours. However, he was dismissed in the fourth over by Abrar Ahmed’s googly. Mishara scored 26 runs off 15 balls, hitting four fours and one six. Sri Lanka were 49 for 2 at the end of the powerplay.

Former captain Charith Asalanka added some stability with Pawan Ratnayake as the pair put on 42 runs in 28 balls. Pakistan broke the stand in the ninth over when Abrar clean bowled Asalanka, who scored 25. Abrar struck again in the 11th over by dismissing Kamindu Mendis. Sri Lanka lost another wicket in the 12th over when Mohammad Nawaz removed Janith Liyanage.

While wickets kept falling at one end, Ratnayake played an impressive innings and reached his half-century in just 32 balls with a six off Shadab Khan in the 15th over. Pakistan finally got his wicket in the 18th over when Shaheen Afridi dismissed him. Ratnayake scored 58 off 37 balls.

Shanaka, who looked in good touch throughout, completed his fifty in just 23 balls and stayed unbeaten on 76. His innings included eight sixes and two fours. Sri Lanka needed 28 runs from the final over. Shanaka hit three sixes and a four off Shaheen Afridi but could not clear the ropes on the final delivery as Sri Lanka fell short by five runs.

Earlier, Pakistan opener Sahibzada Farhan continued his fine form, scoring his second century of the tournament, while Fakhar Zaman struck 84 to help Pakistan post 212 for 8 in 20 overs.

Pakistan opened with Farhan and Fakhar, and the new pair started carefully before increasing the scoring rate from the third over. Farhan reached his half-century in 32 balls and also broke Virat Kohli’s record for the most runs in a single edition of the T20 World Cup by hitting a boundary off Dasun Shanaka in the sixth over.

Fakhar brought up his fifty in just 27 balls with a boundary off Dunith Wellalage in the 12th over. Sri Lanka finally made a breakthrough in the 16th over when Dushmantha Chameera bowled Fakhar for 84 off 42 balls, an innings that included nine fours and four sixes.

Mohammed Nafay, who replaced Babar Azam in the playing XI, was dismissed in the next over, while Shadab Khan was run out in the 18th over.

Farhan continued to score freely and reached his century in 59 balls in the 19th over, becoming the first batter to score two centuries in a single T20 World Cup edition. He was dismissed later in the same over after scoring 100 off 60 balls, hitting nine fours and five sixes.

Reflecting on the match and Pakistan’s campaign, Agha said losing the toss made the task difficult on a pitch that became increasingly challenging for bowlers due to heavy dew. “I think when I lost the toss, it was always going to be challenging because of the dew. It was a very good pitch and restricting them to 148 was always going to be difficult,” Agha said in the post-match presentation.

“If I had won the toss, it could have been a different story. Dew was definitely a factor, and we couldn’t execute our plans the way we wanted to,” he added.

Agha also pointed to an off day for the spin attack and accepted that such setbacks are part of the T20 format. “Our spin has been brilliant, but today Usman had an off day. That can happen in T20 cricket,” he said.

Looking at the bigger picture, the Pakistan skipper did not shy away from addressing the team’s batting struggles across the tournament. “We couldn’t bat well throughout the tournament. It was only Sahibzada Farhan who batted exceptionally well. If someone had supported him, it could have been a different story,” Agha noted.

He added that the middle order remains a major area of concern. “The middle order has been a problem for a few years now. We need to sit down and seriously look at that department,” he said.

Agencies