T20 World Cup, New Zealand vs Pakistan: Super 8 preview
What's the story
New Zealand and Pakistan will meet in the Super Eight stage of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 today. The match is set to take place at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka, at 7:00pm IST. Notably, both sides are familiar with each other in T20Is. This is set to be their 50th meeting in T20Is. Here's the match preview and stats.
Venue switch
New Zealand's challenge in Colombo
New Zealand's biggest challenge will be adapting to the new venue. They have played all their matches in Chennai and Ahmedabad, relying on a balance of seam and spin. However, in Colombo, that balance is likely to shift as slower bowlers take center stage. This is something Pakistan has effectively used in most of their matches.
Home advantage
Pakistan's advantage in Colombo
Unlike New Zealand, Pakistan are well-acquainted with Colombo. They have played three of their four games at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) ground in Colombo. Their match against India was also an evening game at the RPS, giving them a good understanding of the pitch and conditions. Captain Salman Ali Agha has hinted that they will continue to use more spin in Super Eight matches.
Team dynamics
Batting order dynamics
New Zealand have not made much of a change to their batting order, which has mostly held up well. Against weaker oppositions, they have been able to score runs easily. On the other hand, Pakistan's top order is explosive but has struggled with form. This fragility often leads to a middle order comprising too many bowling all-rounders or untested players like Khawaja Nafay.
Probable XIs
Here are the probable XIs
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, Abrar Ahmed. New Zealand probable XI: Tim Seifert (wk), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner (c), Jimmy Neesham, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy.
Information
A look at the H2H record
New Zealand and Pakistan have clashed 49 times in T20Is. The New Zealand side has won 23 games with Pakistan claiming 24. Two matches didn't see any result. At the T20 World Cup, New Zealand have won two matches against Pakistan (L5).
Stats
Player focus: Here are the T20 World Cup stats
Pakistan's Sahibzada Farhan is currently the top run-scorer in the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup with 220 runs from 4 matches at 73.33. New Zealand's Tim Seifert owns 173 runs from 4 matches at 57.66 In three matches, Pakistan's Usman Tariq has claimed 8 wickets at 8.37. Matt Henry has picked 4 scalps for the Kiwis from 4 outings.