Colombo, February 21 – New Zealand has brought back captain Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, and Lockie Ferguson into their playing eleven, after Pakistan won the toss and opted to bat first in the opening Super Eights clash of the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Saturday.
The start of the game may be delayed due to rain, with covers immediately being put back on the entire ground after the toss. Santner has recovered from his illness and is back to lead New Zealand again, while Ferguson is back after returning home for the birth of his first child.
“It could be a bit different here (compared to the conditions in Chennai), but we have seen a lot of the games throughout the tournament here, and we know the challenge they possess. It should be entertaining, as they have some good spinners,” he said.
Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha said that Fakhar Zaman will replace Khawaja Nafay and make his World Cup debut. “We have one pacer, Faheem Ashraf – he is a good all-rounder. So we have two pacers and a lot of spin options. They are a quality side, and we know that. We have to play our best game, and that is what we are looking forward to today,” he said.
In his pitch report, former Pakistan skipper Ramiz Raja described the surface as "a little tacky," and his view was echoed by former Australia captain Aaron Finch. The duo felt that with the grass not being freshly cut, taking pace off the ball could be the way forward, while spinners may need to be brave enough to give the ball some spin.
Playing XIs:
New Zealand: Tim Seifert (wk), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner (captain), Jimmy Neesham, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, and Lockie Ferguson
Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha (captain), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Salman Mirza, and Usman Tariq
