COLOMBO, Sri Lanka: The Super Eights stage of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup kicked off on Saturday, but the opening match between Pakistan and New Zealand at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to persistent rain.
The toss took place on time at 6:00 PM local time, with Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha winning the toss and electing to bat first.
New Zealand and Pakistan share points after rain has the final say in the first #T20WorldCup Super 8 contest.
📝: https://t.co/IDrbJnSgnW pic.twitter.com/z25oocbEly
— ICC (@ICC) February 21, 2026
Pakistan made one change to their playing XI, bringing in Fakhar Zaman in place of Khawaja Nafay. New Zealand, on the other hand, made three changes as captain Mitchell Santner returned to the side.
The Black Caps also included spinner Ish Sodhi, opting for an extra slow-bowling option, while pacer Lockie Ferguson came in for Jacob Duffy.
However, even as the toss formalities were underway, rain began to fall in Colombo. The covers were brought on immediately, and the outfield quickly became saturated.
The cut-off time for a five-over-per-side contest was 10:16 PM local time.
Although the rain stopped briefly, it returned with greater intensity, and with no let-up in the weather, the match was officially called off at 8:35 PM.
As a result, both teams shared a point each.
Updated Points Table
With only one match played, which ended in a no-result, both Pakistan and New Zealand sit at the top of Group 2 with one point each and a net run rate of 0.000.
Super Eights, Group 1
| Rank | Team | Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | N/R | Points | NRR |
| 1 | India | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 |
| 2 | South Africa | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 |
| 3 | West Indies | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 |
| 4 | Zimbabwe | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 |
Super Eights, Group 2
| Rank | Team | Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | N/R | Points | NRR |
| 1 | New Zealand | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.000 |
| 2 | Pakistan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.000 |
| 3 | England | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 |
| 4 | Sri Lanka | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 |
