After a washed out opening fixture, Pakistan do not have much wiggle room in their quest to secure qualification into the semifinals of the Men's ICC T20 World Cup 2026. England, on the other hand, need just one win to seal their spot in the next round as these teams meet at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy on Feb. 24.
For Pakistan, the weight of history may also begin to feel like an anchor as they are up against a statistical ghost that has haunted them since 2009. The Men in Green have never once beaten England at the T20 World Cup, with their most recent defeat coming in the 2022 Final at the MCG.
With their opening Super 8 fixture against New Zealand washed out without a ball being bowled in Colombo, Salman Ali Agha's men are effectively playing a virtual knockout. With only one point in the bag, a defeat tomorrow would leave Pakistan needing other results to go their way just to stay in the conversation.
In contrast, Harry Brook's England are sitting pretty. A win tomorrow would propel them to four points, almost certainly booking their ticket to the semifinals. Having already dispatched co-hosts Sri Lanka, the two-time champions look like a unit that has found its rhythm at exactly the right time.
Both teams arrived in the Super 8s with 3-1 records from the group stage, yet their momentum feels different.
England's only blemish was a comprehensive 30-run loss to the West Indies, a game where their middle order was caught wanting. However, they silenced the critics in their last outing by defending a subpar 146/9 against Sri Lanka magnificently.
It was a bowling masterclass led by the spinners as Will Jacks (3/22), Adil Rashid (2/13), and Liam Dawson (2/27) spun webs around the Lankan batters, bundling them out for just 95.
Pakistan's group stage got off to a wobbly start as they were pushed close by Netherlands but they recovered well with the only blot coming via a heavy 61-run defeat to arch-rivals India.
However, with their Super 8 opener being a complete washout against the Kiwis, Pakistan cannot afford any more wobbles as they look to defy history against an England side who are already battle-hardened in Kandy conditions.
Pitch and Conditions
The match returns to Pallekele, where the 'trial by spin' is expected to continue. Given how both teams boast elite spin options, it should be a close contest with the batters having to find ways to accelerate the scoring.
The surface at Pallekele is generally known for being batter-friendly at the start, however as the match progresses, the pitch tends to lose pace and becomes slightly tacky, bringing spinners into play.
Probable Playing XIs
England Probable XI: Philip Salt, Jos Buttler (WK), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Harry Brook (C), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, and Adil Rashid.
Pakistan Probable XI: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha (C), Babar Azam, Khawaja Nafay, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (WK), Mohammad Nawaz/Faheem Ashraf, Salman Mirza, Usman Tariq and Abrar Ahmed.
Head-to-Head Record
Historically, this rivalry has been heavily tilted in favour of the English. In the 31 T20I matches played between the two nations, England have secured 21 victories, while Pakistan have managed only nine (with one match ending in No Result).
The story becomes even more daunting for the Men in Green when filtered by the T20 World Cup. England hold a perfect 3-0 record against Pakistan in the tournament's history.
Their most recent World Cup encounter was the 2022 Final at Melbourne, a high-voltage clash where England's composure saw them chase down a target of 138 with six balls to spare to lift their second World Cup title.
Where to Watch in India: The match begins at 7 p.m. IST and will be telecast live across the Star Sports Network. You can stream the match live on the JioHotstar app and website.
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