Pakistan’s Qualification Scenario Explained: How Can Pakistan Qualify for Semi-Finals After Gutting England Loss?

In the second Super Eight group, Pakistan sits third with a Net Run Rate of -0.461, while Sri Lanka trails at the bottom with an NRR of -2.550.

Pakistan’s Qualification Scenario Explained: How Can Pakistan Qualify for Semi-Finals After Gutting England Loss?

Pakistan's chances of making it to the semi-finals of the 2026 T20 World Cup appear grim. (via NDTV Sports)

In Short
  • Pakistan's chances of qualifying for the T20 World Cup semi-finals hinge on winning their final match against Sri Lanka.
  • They also need Sri Lanka to defeat New Zealand and England to beat New Zealand in their remaining fixtures.
  • Babar Azam faces criticism for his underwhelming performance, contributing to Pakistan's struggles in the tournament.

Pakistan’s narrow defeat to South Africa has made the team’s path to the 2026 T20 World Cup semi-finals even more difficult. With only one match remaining, their World Cup hopes are extremely precarious and depend entirely on the outcomes of the other fixtures.

Ranked sixth in the world, Pakistan is not among the favorites to win the T20 World Cup. The Men in Green only edged past the Netherlands in their first group-stage fixture, but later secured a comfortable 32-run win over the USA.

Having initially refused to play their arch-rivals India, Pakistan then suffered a massive 61-run defeat to them. A 102-run win over Namibia was only enough to secure the team a spot in the Super Eight stages.

The Super Eights stage became more difficult for Pakistan after their first match against New Zealand had to be abandoned due to rain. A win against England last night was essential to securing a path to the semi-finals.

However, Harry Brook took the game away from Pakistan, scoring a 51-ball century to help the Three Lions chase down a 165-run target in Pallekele. Once again, it was Sahibzada Farhan who led Pakistan’s batting effort alone, while the rest of the batters faltered. 

Although Pakistan’s chances of reaching the semi-finals are slim, they can still be part of a three-way battle with New Zealand and Sri Lanka for the second semi-final spot. The 2009 champions will have to win their final Super Eight match against Sri Lanka on February 28, and hope for the co-hosts and England to beat the Kiwis. This way, New Zealand would finish with a point, Sri Lanka with two points, while Pakistan would qualify for the knock-outs with three points.

If New Zealand wins only one of its remaining two Super Eight fixtures and Pakistan wins one as well, both teams would finish level on three points. Pakistan would then need to beat Sri Lanka by a convincing margin in order to decisively overtake the Blackcaps on Net Run Rate (NRR). In this outcome, Sri Lanka would eventually finish last in the Super Eight group, with either zero or just two points.

Pakistan will be knocked out if New Zealand wins both its remaining matches or if Pakistan loses to Sri Lanka. With the Group 2 Super Eight matches being played in the island country, there is a possibility of rainfall, which could significantly change the outcome. 

Ex-teammate lashes out at Babar Azam for his poor performance amidst Pakistan’s World Cup woes

Former Pakistan all-rounder Imad Wasim, who once played under Babar Azam’s leadership, launched a scathing attack on the veteran batsman. It followed the team’s dismal two-wicket defeat to England in the Super Eight stages of the ongoing 2026 T20 World Cup.

Pakistan Babar Azam Imad Wasim
Imad Wasim criticized Babar Azam amidst Pakistan’s T20 World Cup potential exit. (via NDTV Sports)

Babar Azam’s lean patch in the shortest format has been a cause of concern. In the T20 WC, Azam is yet to record a 50+ score, while the criticism stems from his slow strike-rate that has often restricted the team from putting up high scores despite strong starts. Against the Three Lions, he managed to score just 25 runs off 24 deliveries at a strike-rate of 104.1, before being dismissed by Jamie Overton. 

Imad Wasim exclaimed that the 31-year-old has failed to deliver despite the constant backing that he has received from the team management. The 37-year-old suggested that it is time Babar Azam take charge, while labelling his dismissal against the Three Lions as ‘criminal’. Wasim also stated that he has yet to witness a truly impactful innings from the former Pakistani skipper, to underline his disappointment. He said on Geo News:

How many games are you [Babar Azam] going to mess up like this? After facing 24 balls, if you get out in that fashion… it’s criminal. You are such a senior player… I’m curious what happens in team meetings. Does he raise his hand and accept it?

Wasim pointed to the two notable knocks that continue to define Azam’s career, the century against New Zealand in the 2019 ODI WC, and the 68-run knock against India in the 2021 T20 World Cup. Adding on, Mohammad Amir and Ahmed Shehzad also slammed the 31-year-old’s display. 

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