Pakistan's T20 World Cup Dreams Dashed Despite Victory

Pakistan won against Sri Lanka in the T20 World Cup but failed to advance to the semi-finals due to an inferior net run rate. Despite stellar performances from Farhan and Zaman, Sri Lanka's strong batting response prevented Pakistan from achieving the needed margin for advancement.

Pakistan exited the Twenty20 World Cup after a bittersweet victory over Sri Lanka in the Super Eights match in Pallekele. Despite defeating Sri Lanka by five runs, Pakistan's lower net run rate kept them from joining group leaders England in the semi-finals.

The team needed a significant win to surpass New Zealand in the standings. Openers Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman put on a remarkable 176-run stand, contributing to a total of 212-8. However, they needed to hold Sri Lanka to 147 or less, a task they couldn't accomplish as their opponents reached 207-6.

Pavan Rathnayake scored 58 runs, while Sri Lanka's captain Dasun Shanaka delivered an unbeaten 76 off just 31 balls, barely missing out on a comeback victory that highlighted Pakistan's missed opportunity.