Sahibzada Farhan smashed a historic century while Fakhar Zaman lit up Pallekele with a blistering 84 off just 42 balls, powering Pakistan to a narrow five-run victory over Sri Lanka. However, the win was not enough to secure a place in the T20 World Cup semi-finals, as New Zealand progressed as the second team from Group 2 to reach the knockouts.

Asked to bat first, Pakistan entered the contest knowing they needed a victory margin of around 65 runs to qualify. For much of their innings, that target seemed within reach. The team made three changes, with Babar Azam, Saim Ayub and Salman Mirza making way for Khawaja Nafay, Naseem Shah and Abrar Ahmed. Opening the batting, Fakhar and Farhan produced a stunning 176-run partnership in 15.5 overs — the highest stand for any wicket in T20 World Cup history. The effort eclipsed the previous record of 175 set by Finn Allen and Tim Seifert against the UAE earlier in the tournament.

Farhan’s century was his second of the competition, a feat unmatched by any other player in a single T20 World Cup edition. Along the way, he also surpassed Virat Kohli’s record for most runs in a single tournament. Kohli had amassed 319 runs in 2014, but Farhan finished this campaign with an impressive 383.

With such a dominant start, Pakistan appeared set for a total in excess of 220. However, a dramatic collapse in the closing stages saw them lose seven wickets for just 35 runs in the final four overs, restricting them to 212 for 8. To qualify, they now needed to keep Sri Lanka to 147 or fewer.

Despite Abrar Ahmed claiming three wickets, Sri Lanka crossed that threshold in the 16th over. Yet Dasun Shanaka had loftier ambitions — he was chasing victory, not just respectability. When Shaheen Shah Afridi stepped up to bowl the final over, Sri Lanka required 28 runs. Shanaka launched an extraordinary assault, striking 4, 6, 6, and 6 off the first four deliveries to bring the equation down to six runs from two balls.

Afridi responded by firing one well outside off stump, beating Shanaka’s attempted reverse scoop. With six needed off the final ball, tension peaked. Afridi again tried to disguise his delivery, sending it wide of the batter. Shanaka chose to leave it, anticipating a wide call. The decision was razor-thin, but the umpire ruled the delivery legal, bringing the match to a dramatic and somewhat anticlimactic conclusion.