Pakistan will play their first Super 8 match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 against New Zealand at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Saturday. After erratic group stage campaigns, the match brings together two teams looking for consistency. Both teams placed second in their groups, with India defeating Pakistan and South Africa defeating New Zealand.
The two teams have played each other 24 times in T20 internationals since January 2022. In recent head-to-head meetings, New Zealand has won 13 games while Pakistan has only won nine. Although there is a lot of anticipation, the erratic weather in Colombo is receiving just as much attention.
Prior to the match, the Colombo weather is still a major worry. According to local projections, rain is predicted both before and during the game. If the ground is wet, showers could cause the start to be delayed. The temperature is expected to be between 24 and 26 degrees Celsius, with humidity levels above 80 percent. The match is scheduled to begin at 7 PM local time.
The latest AccuWeather forecast indicates that rain is anticipated between 2:00 and 4:00 pm local time, after which the weather will continue to be overcast.
In response to a question concerning the weather, Pakistan’s Shadab Khan said that they will need to learn how to cope with it because it is beyond their control.
“About the rain, I think we’ve talked too much about it. It feels like it’s going to rain every day, but when we actually get to the ground, it doesn’t always happen. We can’t control those things. You never know it might rain in one match and not in the others. So there’s no point worrying about it,” said Shadab.
Pakistan will need to win their final two matches against England and Sri Lanka in order to get to the semi-final if their match against the Kiwis is rained out.
