Dhaka, March 1 -- Pakistan secured a dramatic five-run victory over Sri Lanka in their final Super Eight match tonight, but the win offered little solace as they were officially knocked out of the 2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.

The result simultaneously confirmed New Zealand's progression to the semi-finals from Group 2.

Heading into the clash, tournament hosts Sri Lanka had already been eliminated from the semi-final race.

Pakistan, however, clung to a mathematical lifeline: they needed to defeat Sri Lanka by an enormous margin of at least 64 runs to surpass New Zealand's superior Net Run Rate.

Taking a bold approach by dropping stalwarts like Babar Azam and Saim Ayub, Pakistan set a daunting target, posting 212 for 8. The innings was...