New Zealand and Pakistan shared the points on Saturday, 21st February 2026, after a steady drizzle in Colombo forced a washout.
The rain started right at the toss and only got heavier as the evening went on. Match officials waited for over two hours past the scheduled start time of the Pakistan vs New Zealand match of ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, Super 8 (Group 2).
Everyone at the stadium and fans online hoped for the rain to stop, but the conditions never improved. And the game was eventually called off without a single ball being bowled.
The weather in Colombo had been a problem even before the match started, as rain had already cancelled Pakistan’s practice session the day before.
On the day of the game, it looked like it might rain again right as the toss was about to happen. Pakistan won the toss, and their captain, Salman Ali Agha, chose to bat first.
However, just as he was finished speaking, a light rain began to fall. The ground crew began to move the covers onto the field, and from that moment on, the rain never stopped.
For the Pakistan vs. New Zealand game yesterday, both teams made some changes to their lineups before the rain took over:
Pakistan decided to leave out Khawaja Nafay to bring back the experienced Fakhar Zaman. New Zealand made three changes of their own, the most important being the return of their captain, Mitchell Santner, who was back in the lineup after being sick for the previous game.
They also brought back fast bowler Lockie Ferguson and spinner Ish Sodhi to suit the conditions in Colombo.
Even though the rain ruined their first game, both teams are now on the score board in the Super Eight stage with one point each. However, since this round of the tournament is so competitive, both teams cannot afford to loseany of their upcoming matches. Because they only got 1 point (instead of 2 for a win).
Therefore, they are in a risky position. If they lose any of their next games, they will likely be knocked out of the World Cup tournament.
Pakistan plays England on Tuesday, 24th February 2026, and against Sri Lanka on Saturday, 28th February, 2026.
While New Zealand will play against Sri Lanka on Wednesday, 25th February 2026, and later against England on Friday, 27th February, 2026. Since this part of the tournament is being held in Sri Lanka, all of these matches will be played there.
