Why Salman Mirza is Not Playing Today in SL vs PAK T20 World Cup Match 2026?

The Pallekele International Cricket Stadium will be hosting Pakistan vs Sri Lanka, who are going head-to-head in their last Super 8 game of the T20 World Cup 2026. Hosts Sri Lanka are already out of the tournament after losing their first two matches in the Super 8, while Pakistan's hope for the semifinals qualification is hanging in the balance as they need to win today's clash by a huge margin. Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka won the toss and opted to bowl first. Meanwhile, Pakistan skipper Salman Agha announced an unexpected change in the playing XI as they have dropped Salman Mirza.

Why Salman Mirza is Not Playing Today against Sri Lanka?

Pakistan have dropped their left-arm pacer Salman Mirza for the SL vs PAK T20 World Cup 2026 match. Pakistan team management has instead gone with their star pacer Naseem Shah as Salman Mirza replacement for the match. It would be interesting to see if this move would be able to help the Men in Green so that they dominate the clash and secure their spot in the semifinals.

Salman Mirza's T20 World Cup 2026 Performance

The Pakistan cricket team showed faith in left-arm seamer Salman Mirza over star pacer Naseem Shah in the ongoing tournament. Mirza has featured in four matches so far, picking up four wickets at an average of 15.25. While he hasn’t taken a large number of wickets, he has been highly economical with the ball. The 32-year-old has maintained an impressive economy rate of 6.77, helping his team build pressure on opposition batters.

However, with Pakistan needing a big win today, regular wickets will be crucial. In such a situation, the team management might feel that Naseem Shah’s wicket-taking ability could have been a stronger option.