Persistent rain in Colombo forces abandonment of Pakistan’s game with New Zealand, which was to open Super Eights stage. Listen to this article | 1 min info Published On 21 Feb 202621 Feb 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Pakistan and New Zealand’s Super Eights match to open the second phase of the 2026 T20 World Cup was abandoned because of rain without a ball being bowled. The rain started at Colombo’s R Premadasa Stadium as soon as Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha won the toss and chose to bat first on Saturday. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list The post-toss interviews were completed, but with the forecast suggesting the game would be in doubt, there was little surprise when the teams ran for cover. More than 60 ground staff were on hand to cover the square and the majority of the playing surface. The persistent rain eventually led to the umpires calling the Group 2 match off at 9:05pm local time (15:35 GMT). Not even a five-over match was possible …