COLOMBO: Pakistan will face New Zealand in the opening Super Eights match of the ICC Men’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at R. Premadasa Stadium on Saturday, with rain threatening to disrupt the contest.
Weather conditions in Colombo remained unsettled throughout the day. The sky stayed heavily overcast and light rain persisted into the afternoon. Temperatures hovered around 30 degrees Celsius but felt closer to 37 due to high humidity. The real-feel temperature in shaded areas stood at 34 degrees.
Winds blew from the west-northwest at 9 km/h, with gusts reaching 26 km/h. Humidity measured 80 percent, with a dew point of 24 degrees. Authorities recorded 7.6 mm of rainfall, and forecasters put the chance of further showers at 75 percent. Cloud cover stood at 99 percent, while visibility dropped to 5 kilometers.
Temperatures are expected to fall to 25 degrees Celsius in the evening. Rain may ease, but humidity could rise to 86 percent, keeping conditions sticky.
Pakistan finished second in Group A with three wins and one defeat, the loss coming against India. In Super Eights Group 2, Pakistan will compete alongside Sri Lanka, New Zealand and England.
The two sides have met seven times in T20 World Cup history, with Pakistan holding a 5-2 edge. Overall, in 49 T20 internationals, Pakistan have won 24 matches while New Zealand have secured 23 victories.
Squads
Pakistan: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Nafay, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan and Usman Tariq.
New Zealand: Mitchell Santner (captain), Finn Allen, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi and Cole McConchie.
