Black Caps take a point with Pakistan after T20 World Cup clash abandoned in Colombo

Sunday, 22 February 2026

New Zealand’s opening game of the Super Eights section of the T20 World Cup was abandoned without a ball being bowled.

The Black Caps were due to play Sri Lanka in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Sunday morning (NZ time), but consistent rain meant no play was possible.

Both sides were awarded one point apiece for the no-result, but NZ will likely be the more disappointed after being favoured to claim two points for a win.

The Black Caps are in Group Two, along with Pakistan, hosts Sri Lanka and England, with the top two finishers following round-robin play advancing to the semifinals.

Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha won the toss and elected to bat when the rain had eased, but the ground-wide covers were soon in place and the match was eventually called off after it became impossible to even play a greatly reduced overs match.

The Black Caps had named legspinner Ish Sodhi in their XI for the first time at the tournament, with the pitch in Colombo expected to favour the slower bowlers. Pace bowler Lockie Ferguson was also included after returning on Friday night from a trip home to be at the birth of his first child with wife Emma.

New Zealand’s next scheduled match is versus Sri Lanka on Thursday morning (NZ time), with their final Super Eights game against England on Saturday morning.