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ICC T20 World Cup 2026: Sri Lanka vs Pakistan | Match 50 | Super 8 | Group 2 | Pallekele| February 28 | Pre-Match Discussion

Cricket Warrior

Cricket Warrior

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After losing to England, Pakistan is now close to getting knocked out of the Super Eight stage of the T20 World Cup 2026. Other results might help, but they must beat hosts Sri Lanka to stay in the tournament.

Pakistan will be relying a lot on Sahibzada Farhan, and if he doesn’t perform, it could be tough for the team. With Sri Lanka’s spin-heavy attack, their batting will be tested, as playing spin has been a weak spot.

The match will be at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. Who do you think will win?
 
1. Sahibzada Farhan
2. Usman Khan
3. Saim Ayub
4. Fakhar Zaman
5. Agha Salman
6. Shadab Khan
7. Khawaja Nafay
8. Shaheen Shah Afridi
9. Naseem Shah
10. Abrar Ahmed
11. Usman Tariq

4 genuine bowling options.
 
Saim is not an opening bat.
Ideally 5/6.....look at him as a permanent replacement for M Nawaz post WC.
Saim down the order as a finisher could be brilliant. As an opener he's had more than enough chances.

Fakhar should open against SL.

Bench Babar and play Nafay at 3...Agha at 4.

Farhan
Fakhar
Nafay
Agha
Saim
Usman

(We are missing Hasan Nawaz here for sure)
 
Drop Babar, and if you cant
Open with Babar

Farhan
Babar
Agha
Fakhar
Saim
Shadab
Nawaz
Shaheen
Abrar
Usman
Naseem
 
We are on the verge of going out. Please for one game at least pick the following team and give yourself the best chance

1. Farhan
2. Fakhar
3. Agha (have to stick with him for now )
4. Nafay
5. Usman
6. Saim (playing as a bowling allrounder)
7. Nawaz/Shadab (flip a coin) or Faheem if a pacer’s pitch
8. Naseem
9. Shaheen (for now, Salman royally screwed up his last spell)
10. Abrar
11. Tariq


That’s the best I can muster from what’s available. They may all fail - but we’re failing anyway
 
Drop Babar, and if you cant
Open with Babar

Farhan
Babar
Agha
Fakhar
Saim
Shadab
Nawaz
Shaheen
Abrar
Usman
Naseem
 
TheSultan said:
We are on the verge of going out. Please for one game at least pick the following team and give yourself the best chance

1. Farhan
2. Fakhar
3. Agha (have to stick with him for now )
4. Nafay
5. Usman
6. Saim (playing as a bowling allrounder)
7. Nawaz/Shadab (flip a coin) or Faheem if a pacer’s pitch
8. Naseem
9. Shaheen (for now, Salman royally screwed up his last spell)
10. Abrar
11. Tariq


That’s the best I can muster from what’s available. They may all fail - but we’re failing anyway
Click to expand...
This dumb coach and captain combo lack common sense which is visible in game strategy and players' selection EVEN from the goofy selected squad. I think last Fakhar opened was in ACC final which was a better opening than any in a big game. The low IQ coach and captain combo decided to change the strategy and kept playing foolish games with the squad with the WC no more than 5 months out. Explain the logic if you can.
 
Beleive it or not, I would rather open with Babar than no look walking wicket Saim.

Babar
Farhan
Agha
Fakhar
Nafay
Usman
Nawaz/Saim/Shadab pick one bits n pieces
Shaheen
Nasim
Usman
Abrar
 
Our chances are zero to none, but we have any mathematical chance before the start of this game

Farhan
Saim
Farhan
Usman
Shadab
Nafay
Agha
Naseem
Mirza
Abrar
Tariq
=========
Lack of options so unable to drop some of the players
 
Kianig89 said:
Our chances are zero to none, but we have any mathematical chance before the start of this game

Farhan
Saim
Farhan
Usman
Shadab
Nafay
Agha
Naseem
Mirza
Abrar
Tariq
=========
Lack of options so unable to drop some of the players
Click to expand...
Farhan batting twice?
 
I have been seeing the same pattern for last 20 years. Every major tournament the team carries a bunch of passengers and players past their prime. No wonder pakistan cricket is on a decline for past so many years.
 
If New Zealand wins both matches, this match will be a dead Rubber . NZ will play both matches (on February 25 and 27) before the Pakistan vs. Sri Lanka match.

:kp
 
mon858 said:
Beleive it or not, I would rather open with Babar than no look walking wicket Saim.

Babar
Farhan
Agha
Fakhar
Nafay
Usman
Nawaz/Saim/Shadab pick one bits n pieces
Shaheen
Nasim
Usman
Abrar
Click to expand...

Babar at 4 was an experiment that was bound to fail. If two wickets fall early, there's no point in blocking for the next ten overs because if you do so, you will always end up with a sub-par score that can be chased easily. He's also not a big hitter or finisher so having him bat after the 12th over is something that the coach doesn't even want.

The only utility Babar had was that he'd offer solidity at the top by not getting out and the other batter from the other end could continue attacking. It would have been better to keep him at the top so he could help Pak be 45/1 instead of 40/2.
 
Considering there is not much we can do as too many passengers but Babar needs to be dropped for Nafay and one of Shadab/ Nawaz for Abrar for the game against the Lankans
 
Mike Hesson should come out and bat in place of ayub

Agha must wear a cornered tiger shirt at toss
 
psyoptica said:
They were underserving to reach the 2022 final. It was a big joke they played in that final. They were terrible back then as well
Click to expand...
Yes lost to Zimbus , choked vs India . Due to Dutch upsetting SA qualified to semis . Only good thing they manage was beating SA and NZ . Not a zalalat team like 2024 and today’s . But still not a World Cup winning team
 
Kianig89 said:
So after 3 months of triseries and bilateral tours , finally SL and Pak will conclude it in a dead rubber in a Damn WC game.

Absolutely disgusting
Click to expand...
If you were expecting them to beat good teams like England and New Zealand, then I guess the fault lies with you.

Pakistan and Sri Lanka are two middling teams with lack of skill and short on match-ups when compared to top teams, it’s the same argument every single time.

Our fans don’t want this team to play the semi-final to devalue this competition, sums it up to be honest with you.
 
Usman Chadda said:
If you were expecting them to beat good teams like England and New Zealand, then I guess the fault lies with you.

Pakistan and Sri Lanka are two middling teams with lack of skill and short on match-ups when compared to top teams, it’s the same argument every single time.

Our fans don’t want this team to play the semi-final to devalue this competition, sums it up to be honest with you.
Click to expand...
Well summarised
 
psyoptica said:
They were underserving to reach the 2022 final. It was a big joke they played in that final. They were terrible back then as well
Click to expand...

This is a wrong retrospective view of the team. Pak T20 teams have been strong in the past but this was one of the best teams that we have had since T20 started, however, some key players were getting too big for the team & were starting to show decline (Babar, Shaheen, Shadab, Haris, & Rizwan).

The problem was that the downfall started somewhere in the aftermath of the loss in the semi-final against Australia in 2020. The ego of the players reached stratosphere in that tournament and Saya corps surfaced as a problem. The new players stopped to work as hard as before and were spending more time with their PR agents.

2022 world cup losses against India and Zimbabwe should have never happened but they were close games and were caused by bad team selection.

Against India Wasim Jr. should have played that match & even then it took an ATG innings to beat Pak.
Zimbabwe disrespect is almost unreal. We also carried a limp Shaheen in the match which was not a good call.

We beat South Africa and New Zealand in that tournament which is a really great effort. This was also a tournament that Shaheen should not have played & he was never the same after that.

We have not beaten a single good team after this in the next two editions. Just look at the teams that we have beaten since; Canada, Ireland, Netherland, Namibia, USA (1-1).
 
psyoptica said:
They were underserving to reach the 2022 final. It was a big joke they played in that final. They were terrible back then as well
Click to expand...
These things don’t matter as i said before if you see 2017.. the teams ranking PCT was below, PCT is a momentum team , I have never seen them consistent.. even in that Tournament so many things went for them..
 
GoUgandaCranes said:
This is a wrong retrospective view of the team. Pak T20 teams have been strong in the past but this was one of the best teams that we have had since T20 started, however, some key players were getting too big for the team & were starting to show decline (Babar, Shaheen, Shadab, Haris, & Rizwan).

The problem was that the downfall started somewhere in the aftermath of the loss in the semi-final against Australia in 2020. The ego of the players reached stratosphere in that tournament and Saya corps surfaced as a problem. The new players stopped to work as hard as before and were spending more time with their PR agents.

2022 world cup losses against India and Zimbabwe should have never happened but they were close games and were caused by bad team selection.

Against India Wasim Jr. should have played that match & even then it took an ATG innings to beat Pak.
Zimbabwe disrespect is almost unreal. We also carried a limp Shaheen in the match which was not a good call.

We beat South Africa and New Zealand in that tournament which is a really great effort. This was also a tournament that Shaheen should not have played & he was never the same after that.

We have not beaten a single good team after this in the next two editions. Just look at the teams that we have beaten since; Canada, Ireland, Netherland, Namibia, USA (1-1).
Click to expand...
We were good T20 team from 2007 to 2014

We missed opportunity winning 2007 which was one shot away still that hurts
2010 we were in it till last over until eventful ajmal over
2012 was another missed opportunity we could have won that too

After 2021 WC it has been downhill
 
shah9425 said:
We were good T20 team from 2007 to 2014

We missed opportunity winning 2007 which was one shot away still that hurts
2010 we were in it till last over until eventful ajmal over
2012 was another missed opportunity we could have won that too

After 2021 WC it has been downhill
Click to expand...

There was a brief point between which I can't remember exactly in terms of years from when till when where Pak was absolute shambles. The fast bowling was a joke with average at best players like Rao were leading our attack.

We had a mini resurgence and found some good players but unfortunately our players have a shelf life of 2-3 years at max. When Babar & Rizwan were at their peak, during that time Pak was a very respectable side in T20 format.

Post their downfall, we have been struggling with the bat and it just continues to go from bad to worse. A lot of people expect big things from the team which is unfair. We are a mid table team & when one comes to terms with that, it's easier to understand the problems. The days may seem bad but we have seen worse. It's just that I feel this team if utilized properly can climb to number 4 in all format, but it is being under & poorly utilized hence we are number 6-7.
 
GoUgandaCranes said:
There was a brief point between which I can't remember exactly in terms of years from when till when where Pak was absolute shambles. The fast bowling was a joke with average at best players like Rao were leading our attack.

We had a mini resurgence and found some good players but unfortunately our players have a shelf life of 2-3 years at max. When Babar & Rizwan were at their peak, during that time Pak was a very respectable side in T20 format.

Post their downfall, we have been struggling with the bat and it just continues to go from bad to worse. A lot of people expect big things from the team which is unfair. We are a mid table team & when one comes to terms with that, it's easier to understand the problems. The days may seem bad but we have seen worse. It's just that I feel this team if utilized properly can climb to number 4 in all format, but it is being under & poorly utilized hence we are number 6-7.
Click to expand...
Rao was in odi WC 2007

Then we went on good run from 2007 T20 WC till 2012 WC

I think we made every semi in these 5 years but sadly converted only one into championship

Mostly choked semis

But at least we were consistent
 
4-7 position for Pakistan has the lowest SR amongst other Super 8 teams. It's 122. Babar is obviously the main factor to this.

The obsession with opening has been so much over the years that the management is blind to the obvious problem. And then want to forcefully shove Shadab and Nawaz at those positions.
 
We were a strong T20 team in the early days of the format when 135-140 was a decent score (not overly taxing our limited batting lineup), and possessed a balanced, highly skilled bowling attack capable of defending almost any total.

We also set up a domestic T20 competition relatively early and was played to a high standard, which helped us get a jump start over other countries.

However other sides eventually caught up and the format's demands evolved beyond Pakistan with emphasis on powerful ball striking, explosive athleticism, understanding of data and analytics, intensity in fielding, and tactical agility. Basically traits Pakistani cricketers generally don't possess.
 
Energy said:
4-7 position for Pakistan has the lowest SR amongst other Super 8 teams. It's 122. Babar is obviously the main factor to this.

The obsession with opening has been so much over the years that the management is blind to the obvious problem. And then want to forcefully shove Shadab and Nawaz at those positions.
Click to expand...
I think it is certainly a time for Pakistan to move on from Babar in the T20I cricket and I don' think playing both Shadab and Nawaz together is the best option for Pakistan. Only one of them should play.
 
hassan918 said:
I think it is certainly a time for Pakistan to move on from Babar in the T20I cricket and I don' think playing both Shadab and Nawaz together is the best option for Pakistan. Only one of them should play.
Click to expand...
Shadab will play. He is the next captain. Agha ji is going back to sunset.
 
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