🏏ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026: S8 - M41: New Zealand vs Pakistan🏏 - Page 6

What happens if there’s no match? There’s no reserve day for Super 8 matches also.

Sham: "Is it still raining??" -- Yes, unfortunately.

Jay: "Whatever advantage pakistan had by winning the toss and bat will keep diminishing with every over lost. " -- Well, at least now, they can possibly plan for how many overs they need to bat. Always tougher to recalibrate when you have begun your innings and rain then shortens the game.

7:35pm Madushka says the rain has now been heavy and steady for about 40 minutes, and that he is seeing some puddles form on the covers. Good thing then that we have the entire ground covered then, eh?

Maddy: "pak make some strange decisions. when you see rain before your eyes, how can you opt to bat first?" -- Well, it does seem perplexing by the moment. And they may have played the past rather than tackling what is in front of them, That said, they could still make it work, provided the rain relents enough to accord them that chance.

A K: "Overs lost now, correct?" -- Yes, we are into that territory now

UPDATE - 2.33 pm GMT - The broadcasters come back live and visuals show that the rain, albeit less heavy now, is steady. They also mention that the cut-off time for a five-overs-a-side contest is 11.10 pm local time, which is 5.40 pm GMT and not 4.46 pm GMT, which was earlier anticipated. So, it seems like there is an extra hour or so of buffer for the games going forward.

UPDATE - 2.20 pm GMT - The rain is still falling in Colombo and it has been pretty heavy of late as well. The covers are firmly on but with this much amount of rain, the water will definitely seep onto the field as well. Let's hope that the rain relents soon and we can get the Super 8s underway.

Chapman loves playing against Pakistan - As the wait for the rain to stop continues, here's an interesting fact. Mark Chapman has scored 2056 T20I runs (Hong Kong and New Zealand combined) and out of those runs, he's scored 663 runs against Pakistan. That's almost one-third of his entire T20I career runs coming against tonight's opponents.

Mahesh: If play resumes, I predict a tight, low-scoring contest because of the rain interruption. New Zealand might have a slight edge due to their balanced bowling attack and ability to adapt in shortened games. However, if Pakistan’s top order clicks early, they can easily turn the momentum in their favor.

Rahil Umar Wani: The pressure on Babar is immense right now. His recent struggles with both form and strike rate are hurting Pakistan's batting order badly. When your best batter isn't firing, it sends shockwaves through the middle order. One gutsy match-winning knock from Babar can turn things around.

20:01 local, 14:31 GMT, 20:01 IST: Entire ground is covered as steady rain keeps us waiting. We will start losing overs from 8:10 PM. The cut-off time for a 5-over contest is 10:16 PM.

UPDATE - 3.03 pm GMT - Eagerly waiting for an update? Us too. And unfortunately, it is still all the same. The broadcasters come back live and we can see the rain still falling, with some of the crowd completely drenched but still waiting for something positive to happen. The wind seems to have picked up as well and the rain seems to be a bit heavier, too. All we can do is keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best. Also, apologies for the confusion regarding the start time of a five-overs-a-side contest. It is now officially confirmed that 4.46 pm GMT is the latest by which that can happen, so we have about an hour and a half, which isn't much time given there will be time needed to get the field ready if and when the rain eventually stops.

Sarfraz Nazir: "Keep the good work coming in the doom & gloom, any chance of getting a reduced game in or will it likely be rained off?" -- Tough to say because, well, rain prediction is not ordinarily anyone's strong suit. But with the rain still falling, it does seem like we are flirting perilously with a washout. With the time needed to dry out the ground and make it ready for play by the cut-off time, we need the rain to probably stop before or around 9:15pm local time or so.

Rahul: "Still raining?" -- Hmm....yes.

Xavier Antony: "Taking your advise, I have been sitting with seatbelts on for a long time. Engines are still revving and the lights are not out yet. How long more Shashwat?" -- Ah, to extend that metaphor further, the red flag is out now. Not even safety car territory yet...

Talha: "Who has the advantage, if its a washout? Guess Pakistan will be happier side !!" -- Don't think either side will be happy. Both will be frustrated, though, especially because this is their opening Super Eight game.

20:48 local, 15:18 GMT, 20:48 IST: "Nothing has changed. It's still raining steadily and with as much intensity, and people still waiting patiently in the stands. The radar shows more rain headed towards the city. Plenty of water on the covers and we started losing overs since 8:10 pm. Chances of a match here look bleak at the moment," cautions Pratyush.

Mahesh: If play resumes, I predict a tight, low-scoring contest because of the rain interruption. New Zealand might have a slight edge due to their balanced bowling attack and ability to adapt in shortened games. However, if Pakistan’s top order clicks early, they can easily turn the momentum in their favor.

UPDATE - 3.30 pm GMT - Rain, rain, please stay away - New Zealand and Pakistan are eager to get going, but Colombo has other ideas at the moment as the wait continues. This is hardly the start the Super 8 stage deserved, with covers firmly in place and players left cooling their heels. There is still a window for a shortened contest if the weather relents, yet the radar and current conditions are not particularly encouraging. As things stand, a washout is creeping closer to reality, a result that would leave both camps frustrated in what is such a crucial phase of the tournament.

UPDATE - 3.03 pm GMT - Eagerly waiting for an update? Us too. And unfortunately, it is still all the same. The broadcasters come back live and we can see the rain still falling, with some of the crowd completely drenched but still waiting for something positive to happen. The wind seems to have picked up as well and the rain seems to be a bit heavier, too. All we can do is keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best. Also, apologies for the confusion regarding the start time of a five-overs-a-side contest. It is now officially confirmed that 4.46 pm GMT is the latest by which that can happen, so we have about an hour and a half, which isn't much time given there will be time needed to get the field ready if and when the rain eventually stops.

21:07 Local Time, 15:37 GMT, 21:07 IST: Right then, rain’s walked in like the ultimate party pooper and had the final say in the opening Super 8s clash. No result, one point each and both teams are off the mark - just not quite the way they’d imagined when they set their alarms. But don’t worry, the cricket carnival rolls on tomorrow with a mouth-watering double-header. England face Sri Lanka at the Pallekele International Stadium, where the clouds might try to steal some limelight again. Later in the day, it’s a blockbuster as India lock horns with South Africa at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad and thankfully, the forecast there looks much better. Four heavyweights. Two big games. Fingers crossed the rain gods take the day off and we get a proper and power-packed double-header. That’s it from us tonight.

Shadow-Shell: "From lane three, rain, a force of nature, won today" -- Ah, should have seen that coming through the rear-view mirror.

9:03pm It continues to rain in Colombo, and quite steadily too, with no real signs of receding. We might be getting close to that stage when this game is officially called off.

Right then, rain’s walked in like the ultimate party pooper and had the final say in the opening Super 8s clash. No result, one point each and both teams are off the mark - just not quite the way they’d imagined when they set their alarms. But don’t worry, the cricket carnival rolls on tomorrow with a mouth-watering double-header. England face Sri Lanka at the Pallekele International Stadium, where the clouds might try to steal some limelight again. Later in the day, it’s a blockbuster as India lock horns with South Africa at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad and thankfully, the forecast there looks much better. Four heavyweights. Two big games. Fingers crossed the rain gods take the day off and we get a proper and power-packed double-header. That’s it from us tonight. See you tomorrow. Goodbye and good night!

And, we have some damp and drab news for you. The plug has officially been pulled on this game, and the first fixture of the Super Eight stage is....a washout.

This was very much Newzealand's match but rain forced them to forfeit it and concede a point to Pakistan...:(

And I believe the rest of the week doesn't look any better either and chances are more matches are going to be washed off...In that case the prelims run rate is going to make an appearance, right?

EDIT: Here is what I found regarding my query about who will go forward in case of a complete washout of all the matches in SL:

https://www.cricketnews.com/en/cricket/news/what-happens-if-super-8-match-washed-out-2026-t20-world-cup/32ad6e84acc36c84aee012f4

Match abandoned ..sh#t yaa..

Originally posted by: Swathi_7

Match abandoned ..sh#t yaa..