Pakistan are poised to face Sri Lanka at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Saturday, February 28, 2026, in a do-or-die T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 fixture. The Green Team needs not just a win, but a big one, to leapfrog New Zealand’s net run rate and grab a spot in the semifinals.
Sri Lanka, on the other hand, can’t make the cut anymore, but they’re still hungry to finish strong at home and play spoiler. All eyes are on these three players who have shaped their team’s story so far, breaking records, stirring up controversy, and grabbing the headlines when it mattered most.
1. Sahibzada Farhan – Pakistan
Pakistan opener Sahibzada Farhan has been on fire at the T20 World Cup 2026. He’s a top scorer of the tournament with 283 in just six games, and that includes a record-breaking century against Namibia. If Pakistan want to win big by at least 63 runs, they’ll need Farhan to come out swinging again and set the tone right from the start.
| Matches | Innings | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | 100s/50s |
| 6 | 6 | 283 | 70.75 | 158.10 | 1 / 2 |
2. Usman Tariq – Pakistan
Usman Tariq has turned heads in this tournament. People can’t stop talking about his odd, statue-still pause bowling that suddenly slings the ball in. Sure, there’s been plenty of debate about his action, but it hasn’t slowed him down at all. He’s already taken 10 wickets.
The real edge he brings? He just shuts batters down in those crucial middle overs. If Pakistan wants to keep Sri Lanka’s score low, Tariq’s the guy who’ll make it happen.
| Matches | Innings | Wickets | Average | Economy | Best Figures |
| 4 | 4 | 10 | 9.80 | 6.32 | 3/27 |
3. Pathum Nissanka – Sri Lanka
For Sri Lanka, Pathum Nissanka is still the guy to watch. He smashed an unbeaten 100 off just 52 balls against Australia, marking the first century of the T20 World Cup 2026, and honestly, one of the best innings anyone’s seen this tournament.
Now, playing at home as co-host, Nissanka’s hungry to give the Pallekele crowd one last win and maybe crush Pakistan’s semifinal hopes while he’s at it.
| Matches | Innings | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | 100s/50s |
| 6 | 6 | 208 | 41.60 | 152.94 | 1 / 1 |
Also Read: SL vs Pak Super 8 T20 World Cup — Live Streaming, Predicted XI, Match Prediction And Key Details
