Sri Lanka’s captain Dasun Shanaka’s resilient 76-run innings wasn’t enough as Pakistan secured a narrow five-run victory in the final ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 match at the Pallekele International Stadium in Kandy. Despite the win, Pakistan got eliminated from the tournament as they failed to restrict Sri Lanka below 147 runs.
In pursuit of a challenging target, Sri Lanka faced an early setback when Naseem Shah dismissed opener Pathum Nissanka for just three runs. Kamil Mishara’s aggressive start was cut short by Abrar Ahmed after scoring 26 runs off 15 balls, leaving Sri Lanka at 49 for 2 at the end of the powerplay.
Former captain Charith Asalanka and Pawan Ratnayake added a crucial partnership of 42 runs before Pakistan’s bowlers struck to dismantle the Sri Lankan batting order. Despite Ratnayake’s impressive half-century, Shanaka’s valiant effort of an unbeaten 76 runs couldn’t steer Sri Lanka to victory, falling short by five runs in the final over.
Pakistan’s Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman set the stage with a solid opening partnership, with Farhan scoring his second century of the tournament and Fakhar contributing 84 runs. Their performance propelled Pakistan to a total of 212 for 8 in 20 overs, securing the win against Sri Lanka.
