Pallekele, Feb. 28 -- Scintillating half-centuries from skipper Dasun Shanaka and Pavan Rathnayake went in vain as co-hosts Sri Lanka ended their ICC T20 World Cup campaign on a disappointing and winless note, losing to Pakistan by five runs in a thriller at Pallekele on Saturday.

With this loss, Sri Lanka, who had a fine group stage with three wins and a loss, ended their Super Eight stage without a win. On the other hand, even though Pakistan won, they could not restrict Sri Lanka to 147 or fewer runs, thus unable to climb over New Zealand's net-run-rate and failing to seal their semifinal spot. The first semifinal between New Zealand and 2024 T20 WC runners-up South Africa for March 4 has been sealed and will take place at Kolkata's E...