The match between Pakistan and New Zealand in the quarter-finals to open the second stage of the T20 World Cup 2026 was canceled due to rain, without any ball being played.
Heavy rain caused the cancellation of the upcoming match between Pakistan and New Zealand, which was scheduled at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Saturday, as part of the T20 World Cup 2026.
The rain started to fall immediately after Pakistan’s captain, Salman Ali Agha, won the toss for the match and chose to bat first.
After the press interviews that followed the draw ended, and with expectations that the match would be affected by the weather, both teams headed to the locker rooms.
More than 60 workers worked hard to cover the entire pitch in hopes of saving the match.
However, as heavy rain continued to fall, the referees made the decision to cancel the match, which was part of the second group, at “9:05 pm local time” (“15:35 GMT”).
Even the option to reduce the match to five rounds was not possible before the deadline set at “10:16 pm” (“16:46 GMT”), so each team would receive one point as a result of the cancellation.
All eyes are now on the India-South Africa match in Ahmedabad, the opening match of Group A on Sunday. In Group B, Sri Lanka, the other host nation, will face England in Pallekele.
