Sipu Jha
Former India opener Virender Sehwag has bluntly dismissed Pakistan’s chances of reaching the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2026, stating he does not see Salman Ali Agha’s side pulling off the required miracle.Pakistan are still mathematically alive in the race for the last four, thanks to England’s Super 8 victory over New Zealand in Colombo on Friday. However, their inferior net run rate leaves them with a steep climb. Even if they defeat Sri Lanka, they would only draw level with New Zealand on points unless they secure a massive win to overhaul the Black Caps’ net run rate.
The qualification equation is daunting. If Pakistan bat first and post 160, they must win by at least 65 runs. If they are chasing the same total, they need to finish the job within 13.2 overs to move ahead of New Zealand and seal a semi-final berth.During a discussion on Cricbuzz, when the anchor outlined Pakistan’s scenario if they batted first, Sehwag responded bluntly, “Nahi hone wala. Aage padh (It won’t happen, read further).”When the focus shifted to the possibility of chasing, Sehwag was equally dismissive. “Wo bhi nahi hone wala. (This too won’t happen).”He elaborated further on the show, saying, “It won’t happen, that’s what I was saying. It is not that easy for Pakistan. The prayers might have been accepted for the England-New Zealand match. But the prayers won’t work for Pakistan in the game against Sri Lanka. They have been praying for so long, and it has not worked. So I don’t think this is possible,” Sehwag said further on Cricbuzz.Sehwag added that Pakistan’s only realistic route would involve Sri Lanka playing extremely poorly, effectively handing them the game. He questioned how a team struggling to reach 160 consistently could suddenly chase that target at breakneck speed.“If they somehow qualify, very good. If they score 160 and then win by 60 runs, Sri Lanka would have to play some poor cricket. They would need to be bowled out for 90, which is not possible. Chasing the total down in 13.2 overs is possible, but their batting is not like that,” he added.“Pakistan are anyway not able to score 160, how will they chase the total down in 14 overs? It will be tough,” he added.England have already secured top spot in Group 2 of the Super 8 stage and booked their place in the semi-finals. The remaining qualification spot from the group will be decided between Pakistan and New Zealand.
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