Sri Lanka will host Pakistan at the Pallakele International Cricket Stadium on Saturday, February 28. The match is scheduled to start at 7:00 pm Indian time. Ahead of the game, former India opener Virender Sehwag has predicted that Pakistan will not reach the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2026.
Sehwag said that after England’s win over New Zealand in the Super 8, it is not possible for the Salman Ali Aga-led side to get a big win or chase the target early to stay in the race for the semi-finals.
England won over New Zealand by four wickets in the Super 8 match at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Friday, 27 February. The Harry Brook-led side finished top of Group 2 after winning all three of their Super 8 matches. A win for the Black Caps would have ended Pakistan’s semi-final hopes.
It is not so easy for Pakistan – Virender Sehwag on the possibility of semi-finals
During a discussion on Cricbuzz, Virender Sehwag shared his views on Pakistan’s qualification chances in the T20 World Cup 2026. The former Indian opening batsman said that this work is very difficult.
Sehwag said, “It is not so easy for Pakistan. The prayers were accepted and England won. But, the prayers of their people are not going to work for Pakistan. They have been praying for so long, but it is not working. So, I don’t think it is possible. If they somehow qualify, then great.”
When the host said that if Salman Ali Aga’s team bats first and scores 160, Sehwag said, “That’s not going to happen, they have to win by more than 60 runs.”
If Pakistan is chasing the target of 160 runs set by Sri Lanka, they will have to complete the chase with more than 40 balls to spare. Sehwag commented, “That’s not going to happen either.”
Pakistan is not able to score even 160 runs in 20 overs – Virender Sehwag
Virender Sehwag said that the scenarios required for Pakistan’s qualification are not realistic. He said that it is not possible for Sri Lanka to be confined to around 90. Sehwag said that Pakistan cannot score 160 runs at the required pace with 40 balls remaining.
Virender Sehwag said, “If they score 160 and then win by 60 runs, Sri Lanka will have to play very poor cricket. They will have to bowl out around 90, which is not possible.”
He said, “Forget about scoring 160 runs so quickly, Pakistan is not even able to score 160 runs in 20 consecutive overs. How will they score 160 runs in 14 overs? So I am saying that the prayers of their people were only for England and they worked.”
Pakistan will have to play good cricket overall – Manoj Tiwari
During the discussion, Manoj Tiwari also shared his views on Pakistan’s qualification prospects. Tiwari said that if both the batsmen perform well while chasing the target in the second innings, then Pakistan may have a chance. However, he said that an all-round effort would be required from the team to make qualification possible.
Tiwari said, “The way Sri Lanka has played in the last two matches, there is a ray of hope. After the arrival of Fakhar Zaman, Sahibzada Farhan can get support. Farhan has not only scored runs against India, he has scored runs against everyone else and is the highest run scorer at the moment.”
He said, “If both these batsmen become aggressive while chasing the target in the second innings, then at least there are some chances of victory. Apart from that, they have to play good cricket overall.”
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