T20 World Cup Super8: Rain disrupts the match between Pakistan and New Zealand in Colombo

Rain has disrupted the first match between Pakistan and New Zealand, which was scheduled to kick off the Super Eight stage of the 2026 Men's T20 Cricket World Cup. The match was to be held at the R.

Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo. Pakistan captain Salman Agha won the toss and decided to bat first.

However, due to rain that started falling on the stadium even before the match began, the ground staff had to completely cover the pitch and the field, which delayed the start of the match at the scheduled time. The toss was conducted before the rain started, and the Pakistani captain, commenting on it, stated that his team had made one change, bringing in Fakhar Zaman instead of Khawaja Nafee. He further emphasized that New Zealand is a strong team, and his team must perform at their best.

New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner also joined the toss ceremony and announced that their team had made three changes. Accordingly, Ish Sodhi has been called into the team as an extra spinner, along with fast bowler Lockie Ferguson, replacing Jacob Duffy and Kyle Jamieson. He also stated that he is well aware of the challenge that can be posed by Pakistani spinners.

Since reserve days are allocated only for the semi-final and final matches of this tournament, if the match has to be completely abandoned today due to rain, the points will be equally divided between the two teams. Former cricketers Ramiz Raja and Aaron Finch, after inspecting the pitch, stated that there was some moisture on it, so the team that won the toss might have made a better decision by choosing to field first.