Pakistan ended their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign painfully on 28th February. They crashed out of the Super 8 stage despite beating Sri Lanka in their final group match. Sahibzada Farhan struck a brilliant century, and Fakhar Zaman added 84. Together, they built a massive 176-run opening stand to help the Men in Green post 212/8.
The mood shifted quickly. Pakistan needed to restrict Sri Lanka to 147 or fewer to overhaul New Zealand's superior Net Run Rate. They needed this to claim a semifinal berth alongside group leaders England.
Sri Lanka refused to cooperate. Pavan Rathnayake played a measured innings of 58. Captain Dasun Shanaka launched a breathtaking assault and smashed an unbeaten 76 off just 31 balls. Sri Lanka finished on 207/6. They lost the game, but they scored enough to knock Pakistan out of the tournament. So, both England and New Zealand have now formally confirmed their places in the last four. This leaves the Group 1 outcome involving India, South Africa, and the West Indies to settle the remaining two semifinal spots.
Pakistan Exit T20 World Cup 2026: Salman Agha Faces Captaincy Calls After Sri Lanka Heartbreak
Salman Agha met the press straight after the final whistle. A journalist asked him bluntly whether he considered himself Pakistan's "dummy captain." The reporter also asked whether he would step down voluntarily or wait for the PCB to act. The 32-year-old answered without deflection. He acknowledged that an immediate emotional decision would be irresponsible. He stated he intended to reflect at home before concluding his captaincy future.
When asked whether he considered himself a dummy captain and whether he would step down, Salman Agha responded directly at the post-match press conference: "If I don't answer this question, it will be disrespect. It will be an emotional call if I make the decision straightaway now. So, I will go home and think about it before making a decision about captaincy."
At the post-match presentation, Agha pointed to heavy dew as the decisive factor. He said it disrupted his bowlers' execution in the second innings. He also admitted that the middle order had struggled throughout the tournament. He noted that Pakistan failed to bat consistently across all 20 overs during the competition.
"It was always challenging after losing the toss because of dew. Could've been a different story had we won the toss. Dew was a factor. We couldn't execute plans. Usman [Tariq] had an off-day; it can happen. We couldn't bat well throughout the tournament. If Farhan had more support, it'd have been better."
He then turned his attention to a longer-standing structural problem within the squad, adding: "The middle order has been a problem for a few years now, we'll have to look at that. Couldn't finish the way we wanted to. We batted well for 18 overs; the opposition did well in the other two."
