Sports
Pakistan and Ireland await a damp finish in Florida
There are parties you don’t want to be at, and parties the host doesn’t want you at. And then there are parties no one wants to be at.
Pakistan and Ireland find themselves in that last position, in extremely wet conditions in Lauderhill, Florida. They’ve both been eliminated from the T20 World Cup and nothing that happens during their final group game on Sunday can change that. But it must be played, weather permitting, and so they will gear up for one more fixture that will have no impact on this tournament, and almost certainly no implications on qualification for the next one in 2026.
For Pakistan, it’s one more day in America before the players return to face the wrath of a nation whose anger has been bubbling up in the days following defeats to the USA and India. PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi is in an impregnable position, and is expected to ring the changes in the coming weeks, with Pakistan’s central contracts also up for review at the end of this month. Babar Azam’s side can do little to change the mood back home, though another defeat won’t help at all.
Ireland have also endured a disappointing tournament, especially since the build-up was promising. A home win over Pakistan and victory in a T20 tri-nation series in the Netherlands. But crumpling on a horror pitch in New York against India set the tone for a dismal campaign, with a defeat against Canada the nadir. While their qualification chances were theoretically alive before Lauderhill’s weather washed out their match against the hosts, all that’s left now is the hope that they may end their party in the USA on a high note.
This is almost certainly Imad Wasim’s final international match. Controversially brought back into the side, he has failed to provide the stardust Pakistan believed he would bring when they persuaded him to rescind his international retirement. His performances with the ball have been solid, if unspectacular, with no batting contribution of any heft, a point his innings during Pakistan’s chase against India painfully underscored. His statement before the tournament that “no one remembers semi-finalists and finalists, people remember champions” has aged like milk after Pakistan’s earliest T20 World Cup exit, but at this point, a game to remember as he signs off is the best consolation he can ask for.
Lorcan Tucker scored two half centuries in three games against Pakistan last month, before following up with 40 and 55 in the tri-series against the Netherlands and Scotland. Since then, his runs have dried up as Ireland’s T20 World Cup campaign flamed out before it even got off the ground. He has managed starts in each of the group games, getting into double figures while facing 13 and 15 balls. With no pressure and little to lose, Tucker has the opportunity to rediscover the form he found against Pakistan just a few weeks ago.
Pakistan may give Abrar Ahmed and Abbas Afridi – the two players who haven’t got a game so far – a start.
Pakistan: (probable): Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saim Ayub, Babar Azam (capt), Fakhar Zaman, Usman Khan, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Shaheen Afridi/Abbas Afridi, Naseem Shah/Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Amir
It’s been over a week since Ireland last played, so it’s trickier to predict how Ireland line-up.
Ireland: (probable): Andy Balbirnie, Paul Stirling (capt), Lorcan Tucker (wk), Harry Tector, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy, Josh Little, Craig Young/Ben White
[Cricinfo]
By the time New Zealand walk out under the Khettarama lights on Wednesday, it will have been eight days since their last competitive fixture, but in the face of their disastrous outing with the bat against England, it’s Sri Lanka that might be feeling rather undercooked, and are in danger of being eliminated from a World Cup they are co-hosting.
Make no qualms about it, Sri Lanka enter this contest seeking a massive course correction. Despite a strong start to the tournament with the bat, including a dominant chase over Australia and a dismantling of Oman, their monumental failure in their opening Super Eight fixture has once more disturbed the ghosts of collapses past.
Clarity will be the key word coming into this game, with Sri Lanka’s batters caught in several minds as to how to approach a tacky surface last time out. Some, like Kusal and Kamindu Mendis, were dismissed trying to find singles – something batting coach Vikram Rathour said might not have been optimal on a sticky surface, where even such “safe” stroke play can elicit errors.
Others failed to execute while trying to show intent, instead erring on execution and timing, while those like Kamil Mishara hung around doing not much at all, before making the wrong choice nevertheless in the end.
The game will have served up more questions than answers, and New Zealand will no doubt be itching to press on those pressure points.
New Zealand of course are coming into this game as the in-form batting unit this tournament, having played all their games on the flat, batter-friendly surfaces in Chennai and Ahmedabad. In Sri Lanka, though, they will need to come out with a more measured approach, particularly against a Sri Lankan attack that will no doubt look to exploit the spin-friendly home conditions.
New Zealand also enter with the better head-to-head record, with a 16-9 win-loss record against Sri Lanka; even on Sri Lankan soil it’s 5-3 in favour of the visitors. Recent history is not much different, with two Sri Lankan wins bookending a trio of defeats.
But all that means little in the context of a major tournament, particularly in a game which is as close to a must-win as possible for both sides. For Sri Lanka a defeat means a knockout; New Zealand, meanwhile, have slightly more wiggle room – particularly if England defeat Pakistan on Monday night – though they will then need other results to go their way.
In the spotlight
Of the spinners playing in this tournament, only Adam Zampa and Adil Rashid have a better record against Sri Lanka in men’s T20Is than Mitchell Santner. Across his 11 games against them, he has gone wicketless just twice, grabbing 14 wickets at an economy rate of 6.38 – well below his career economy of 7.24. This however will be Santner’s first time playing at Sri Lanka’s most spin-friendly limited overs venue, and he will be backing himself to boost those numbers.
Dunith Wellalage has seven wickets across this tournament, only behind Maheesh Theekshana (8) for Sri Lanka. Against England he was asked to bowl in the powerplay and came through with figures of 16 for 1 in that period, before finishing up with innings best figures of 3 for 26. With the action moving to the Khettarama, conditions should suit him even more. Sri Lanka will also be relying on him with the bat as well, with him twice being promoted up the order to no.5 already.
Team news
Sri Lanka will have been distraught with their batting performance against England, but it’s unlikely they will make any drastic changes. Kamil Mishara, who came in for Kusal Perera last time out, is likely to get another outing.
Sri Lanka XI (probable): Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis, Pavan Rathnayake, Dasun Shanaka, Kamindu Mendis, Dunith Wellalage, Dushan Hemantha, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, Dilshan Madushanka
New Zealand have a fully fit 15 thanks to their extra couple of days off after the Pakistan game washout. Jacob Duffy was set to make way last time out for the returning Lockie Ferguson before rain played spoiler.
New Zealand XI (probable): Tim Seifert (wk), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner (capt), Jimmy Neesham, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi Lockie Ferguson
If you want a thing done well, do it yourself. Harry Brook, England’s captain, took matters into his own hands in Pallekele, promoting himself to No. 3 and blazing his maiden T20 international hundred to drag his team past Pakistan and into the semi-finals of the Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 with a game to spare, almost single-handedly.
Brook started the tournament, his first as captain, with 53 against Nepal but had been dismissed by spin for less than 20 for four innings in a row. His response was to move up two spots from No. 5 in order to bat in the powerplay, and he found himself walking out to face the second ball after Shaheen Shah Afridi – recalled by Pakistan – struck with the first ball of England’s chase.
Afridi took three wickets in the powerplay to check England’s progress, and Usman Tariq struck twice in the middle overs to reduce them to 58 for 4 and then 103 for 5. But Brook continued to flay Pakistan’s attack to all parts, reaching a 50-ball hundred by launching Afridi over cover for six and then over mid-off for four.
He was cleaned up one ball later by Afridi’s pinpoint yorker, but walked off to a standing ovation with England needing only 10 to win. They made hard work of it, gifting two wickets to Mohammad Nawaz to take the game into the 20th over, but Jofra Archer smeared Salman Mirza through midwicket as England’s dugout breathed a sigh of relief.
England’s win sealed their qualification for the semi-finals with a match to spare, and they will top the group if they can beat New Zealand in Colombo on Friday. They are yet to put a complete performance together and were shoddy in the field against Pakistan, but have now reached the semi-finals for a fifth men’s T20 World Cup in a row.
Pakistan, meanwhile, must beat Sri Lanka in their final group game and rely on other results falling their way. Despite Shahibzada Farhan’s impressive 63, they always look short on runs after they were bogged down by spin in the middle overs, with Liam Dawson’s 3 for 24 the outstanding performance among England’s attack.
Brief scores:
England 166 for 8 in 19.1 overs (Harry Brook 100, Sam Curran 16, Will Jacks 28; Shaheen Shah Afridi 4-30, Mohammad Nawaz 2-26, Usman Tarique 2-31) beat Pakistan 164 for 9 in 20 overs (Shahibzada Farhan 63, Babar Azam 25, Fakhar Zaman 25, Shadab Khan 23; Jofra Archer 2-32, Jamie Overton 2-26, Liam Dawson 3-24, Adil Rashid 1-31) by two wickets
(Cricinfo)
Session for HR practitioners by AHRP on 26 Feb.
Navy seizes Indian trawler, 12 fishermen for poaching off Mannar
The contribution made by Victor Rathnayake to Sri Lanka’s musical landscape is immeasurable – PM
Sri Lanka in win or bust territory as New Zealand look to spoil Khettarama party
Italian cricket under sexual harassment cloud
Classy Brook century puts nervy England in the semi-final
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
Sunday Island 27 December – Headlines
#SundayIsland 17th December – Headlines
Sunday Island – 28th March
Sunday Island Headlines – 21 March
Sunday Island – 21st February – Headlines
-
Features3 days agoWhy does the state threaten Its people with yet another anti-terror law?
-
Features3 days agoReconciliation, Mood of the Nation and the NPP Government
-
Features3 days agoVictor Melder turns 90: Railwayman and bibliophile extraordinary
-
Features2 days agoLOVEABLE BUT LETHAL: When four-legged stars remind us of a silent killer
-
Features3 days agoVictor, the Friend of the Foreign Press
-
Latest News4 days agoNew Zealand meet familiar opponents Pakistan at spin-friendly Premadasa
-
Latest News4 days agoTariffs ruling is major blow to Trump’s second-term agenda
-
Latest News4 days agoECB push back at Pakistan ‘shadow-ban’ reports ahead of Hundred auction