ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will take on New Zealand in their T20 World Cup Super Eight stage clash in Colombo on Saturday, with both sides looking to strengthen their chances of reaching the knockouts.

The second phase of the T20 tournament kicks off without former champions Australia, who shockingly failed to make it out of their group. Instead, Zimbabwe, who did not even qualify in 2024, topped Group B after a stunning unbeaten campaign where they not only beat Australia but also co-hosts Sri Lanka.

Babar Azam was dropped for Pakistan’s final T20 World Cup group game against Namibia for scoring too slowly, head coach Mike Hesson said on Friday. Pakistan racked up 199-3 and secured a place in the Super Eights by 102 runs.

The match is scheduled to start at 6:30pm Pakistan time.

“New Zealand have played a huge amount in the subcontinent in recent times so we have to play at our best,” Hesson told reporters after Pakistan’s final practice session on Friday was washed out by rain.

Pakistan left out Azam for the same reason at last year’s Asia Cup and even after dismal showing in the Big Bash League, he was still selected for the T20 World Cup.

“We brought Babar back in for a specific role post the Asia Cup... We’ve got plenty of other options who can come in and perform that role toward the end,” Hesson said.

“Babar is actually the first to acknowledge that...He knows that he’s got a certain set of skills that the team requires and there are certain times where other players can perform that role more efficiently.”

Hesson also defended dropping pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi after he conceded 101 runs in three matches, including 31 in two overs against India.

“We made a call that Salman Mirza was coming in for Shaheen, and he bowled incredibly well,” he said. “To be fair, he was probably really unlucky to not be playing the second and third games.”