Openers Fakhar Zaman and Sahibzada Farhan helped Pakistan take control with a record-breaking opener against Sri Lanka in the must-win Super 8 match of the T20 World Cup at the Palleke International Stadium on Saturday.
Batting first, Pakistan put up a 176-run partnership for the opening wicket, the highest stand for any wicket in T20 World Cup history. This is also Pakistan’s third-highest partnership in all T20Is.
Sri Lanka is not on the ground helping their cause. Dunith Wellalage dismissed Farhan at 75. Kamindu Mendis Liyanage seemed to catch him on 76 but hit the boundary pad.
The breakthrough came from Dushmantha Chameera. He bowled one outside off to Fakhar, who was moving at the crease throughout the innings. This time, Fakhar’s inside edge deflected onto the stumps.
The first-match score of 176 is now a T20 World Cup record, surpassing the unbroken record of 175 set by Finn Allen and Tim Seifert against the UAE earlier in the tournament.
Highest partnership (any wicket) in T20 World Cup
176 – Sahibzada Farhan & Fakhar Zaman (PAK) vs SL, Pallekele, 2026*
175* – Tim Seifert and Finn Allen (NZ) vs UAE, Chennai, 2026
170* – Jos Buttler and Alex Hales (England) v IND, Adelaide, 2022
168 – Quinton de Kock & Rilee Rossouw (SA) vs BAN, Sydney, 2022
166 – Mahela Jayawardene & Kumar Sangakkara (SL) vs WI, Barbados, 2010
154 – Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gubaz (AFG) vs UGA, Providence, 2024
Pakistan Post 212
Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman took Pakistan to 212 in the first innings. Pakistan bowlers need to beat Sri Lanka by 147 runs or less to overtake New Zealand with a winning margin and advance to the semi-finals.
Earlier, Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to bowl in the Super 8 final at Pallekele, Kandy.
The Pakistan team has made changes to its starting lineup. Former captain Babar Azam was ruled out after consecutive low scores. Saim Ayoub is also not included.
Pakistan comes into the tournament after narrowly losing to two-time champions England on Tuesday. Sri Lanka are already out of the tournament after losing to England and New Zealand in their first two Super 8 matches.