Pakistan’s warm-up match against Ireland ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup was washed-out without a single ball being bowled on Wednesday. According to media reports, match has suspended due to persistent rain at the Sinhalese Sports Club.
The washout meant both Pakistan and Ireland lost their only scheduled warm-up fixture before the start of the tournament.
The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 is set to get underway on 7th February with Pakistan opening their campaign against the Netherlands.
That match will be followed by a clash at the same venue against the United States, a team that defeated Pakistan during the 2024 World Cup.
It is worth mentioning here that Pakistan National cricket team players have made significant gains in the latest ICC T-20I rankings ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026, scheduled to be held in India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8.
Star batsman Saim Ayub has made a significant jump of eight places to 27th, while captain Salman Ali Agha has climbed 12 spots to 29th with 589 points.
In the batting rankings, opener Sahibzada Farhan has slipped from fifth to seventh place with 715 points.
Former captain Babar Azam has dropped three places to 34th. Mohammad Rizwan has fallen six places to 67th with 479 points, while Fakhar Zaman has slipped five places to 74th. Youngster Hasan Nawaz has also dropped six places to 90th.
At the top of the batting rankings, India’s Abhishek Sharma retained his position as the number one T20I batsman, followed by England’s Phil Salt in second place. There was a change at third position, with England’s Jos Buttler moving up, while India’s Tilak Verma dropped to fourth.
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