NZ vs PAK: Why did Khawaja Nafay miss Super 8 clash of T20 World Cup 2026?
(Courtesy : Getty Images)
Khawaja Nafay’s name was missing from team sheet for NZ vs PAK at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
The saga of Super 8 has started in ICC T20 World Cup 2026 and it’s Pakistan and New Zealand who are locking horns in the 41st game of the tournament on February 21.
The NZ vs PAK game, which is having a delayed start due to rain, is underway at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. Pakistan captain Salman Agha won the toss and opted to bat first in the encounter. At the toss, he revealed that they have made only one change to their playing XI, sidelining Khawaja Nafay from the XI
On the other hand, New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner revealed that they have made three changes for the match, adding in Ish Sodhi and Lockie Ferguson.
Why did Khawaja Nafay miss NZ vs PAK Super 8 clash of T20 World Cup 2026?
Khawaja Nafay, who played the last match, has been dropped and in his place Fakhar Zaman has been added to the XI. Zaman was benched throughout all the matches in the league stage.
Speaking at the toss, Agha said, “We gonna bat first. We have one change. Fakhar is playing and Nafay is not playing. We have one pacer, Faheem Ashraf – he is a good all-rounder. So we have 2 pacers and lot of spin options. They are a quality side, we know that. We have to play our A game and that is what we look forward to today”.
Revealing their playing XI, Santner stated, “We have 3 changes. We have gone with an extra spinner Ish Sodhi instead of Kyle Jamieson. Lockie is back for Duffy. Could be a little bit different here (compared to the conditions in Chennai), but we have seen a lot of the games throughout the tournament here and we know the challenge they possess. Should be entertaining, they got some good spinners”.
NZ vs PAK Playing 11’s
New Zealand (Playing XI): Tim Seifert(w), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner(c), James Neesham, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson.
Pakistan (Playing XI): Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha (c), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Usman Khan(w), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Salman Mirza, Usman Tariq.
What changes have Pakistan made to their playing XI against New Zealand?
Pakistan have replaced Khawaja Nafay with Fakhar Zaman in the clash against New Zealand.
Who won the toss in PAK vs NZ encounter?
Pakistan won the toss and opted to bat first in the encounter.
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Vikas Singh Derek is a core cricket-lover since childhood and has always followed the sport both in his personal and professional life. He started his school life by watching cricket at home with family. Later, he played cricket on the field at local clubs during college. After his Master's in Journalism from Mumbai, he followed his passion by covering cricket news across various digital media. Since 2015, he has been an aspiring sports journalist and cricket content writer with over 50K+ articles.