Pakistan and New Zealand shared the points in Colombo on Saturday after heavy rain forced the abandonment of their T20 World Cup Super 8 opener without a ball bowled. Officials at the R. Premadasa Stadium called off the fixture more than two hours after the scheduled start as a drizzle that began during the toss escalated into a persistent downpour.
The washout leaves both Group 2 sides with a single point and significantly narrows their margin for error in a group featuring England and Sri Lanka. While the players never took the field, the confirmed team sheets provided major talking points regarding the team direction of both camps for the remainder of the tournament.
Pakistan captain Salman Agha won the toss and opted to bat just as the weather turned, but the real surprise lay in the inclusion of Fakhar Zaman. The veteran left-hander replaced Khawaja Nafay, signaling a potential shake-up in a top order that has struggled for consistency. Zaman has batted in the top four in 99 of his 108 T20I innings; his presence suggests that either Salman or Babar Azam may be forced further down the order to accommodate his explosive style.
On the bowling front, Pakistan doubled down on their recent form-based approach. Salman Mirza retained his place ahead of Shaheen Afridi, who has endured a miserable World Cup campaign with an economy rate exceeding 11.00.
The Black Caps welcomed back Mitchell Santner following his recovery from illness. Recognizing the spin-friendly nature of the Premadasa surface, the Kiwis also drafted in leg-spinner Ish Sodhi, whose only prior appearance in this tournament was during a warm-up fixture against the USA.
In a move for raw speed over movement, the New Zealand management opted for the outright pace of Lockie Ferguson to partner Matt Henry, leaving Jacob Duffy and Kyle Jamieson on the sidelines. The strategy appeared designed to rattle the Pakistan top order before the spinners took over; a plan that must now wait for their upcoming clash with Sri Lanka.
Result: Match abandoned; 1 point awarded to each team.
Weather: Rain arrived exactly at the toss and never relented, forming puddles on the covers within 60 minutes.
Selection shock: Fakhar Zaman returns for Pakistan; Shaheen Afridi remains benched.
Pakistan vs England (Pallekele, Tuesday)
New Zealand vs Sri Lanka (Colombo, Wednesday)
The washout places immense pressure on both teams to secure wins in their remaining two fixtures. Pakistan travels to Pallekele to face a formidable England side on Tuesday, a venue that traditionally offers more for the seamers. New Zealand stays in Colombo to face co-hosts Sri Lanka on Wednesday, where the spin-heavy tactics they planned for Saturday will likely be deployed again.
