Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza stressed that reaching the Super 8s was only one milestone in a much bigger journey after his side progressed to the next stage of the T20 World Cup 2026 following a rain-hit fixture against Ireland at the Pallekele International Stadium on Tuesday.The abandoned match earned both teams a point each, taking Zimbabwe to five points in Group B and ending Australia’s hopes of advancing.

“The fact that we’ve qualified for the Super 8s hasn’t changed the ultimate goal that we set out for. Like I said, it’s just a tick in the box, but we have a lot of other goals to achieve and everybody loves an underdog story, don’t they?” Raza said.He reflected on Zimbabwe’s long qualification route, including the sub-regional stage featuring Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania.“I’ll take you back when we played the sub-regional qualifiers B, and we played the Kenya, the Rwanda, Tanzania, and all those teams. And I remember I stood up to my troops and I said, we are in this position or in this mess, as you want to call it, because of us. There’s no one else to blame. And only us that would get this mess clear and only us can get it out of it. So what are we gonna do about it? And we won the qualifiers B, regional sub-regional B, then the main qualifiers happened. We won that as well,” he said.Zimbabwe now enter a challenging Super 8 group alongside defending champions India, 2024 runners-up South Africa and two-time winners West Indies, needing a top-two finish to make the semi-finals.“Yeah, certainly so. Myself and the coach will sit down. We watched Sri Lanka in the last three games as well. We’re going to have the data on them and we try and put our best foot forward and try and win that game. That is the whole point of us being here,” Raza said of their preparation.“I think every condition we find ourselves in, if we can find a day or two to train, I think we’ll sum up the conditions really well and hopefully make those plans. One thing you can’t fight is the weather and conditions. So we try and learn those conditions if we can have two, three training days in a particular city, wherever we’re going to.”Before the Super 8s begin, Zimbabwe will take on co-hosts Sri Lanka in their final group-stage match at the R. Premadasa Stadium on Thursday.

When India face South Africa in their Super Eights clash of the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on February 22, few supporters will feel more divided than Mariana Morkel.From her home in Pretoria, Mariana will find herself torn. Her elder son, Albie Morkel, represented South Africa in one Test, 58 ODIs and 50 T20Is and is now serving as a consultant coach with the Proteas in the ongoing tournament. Her younger son, Morne Morkel, who played 86 Tests, 117 ODIs and 44 T20Is for South Africa, is India’s bowling coach.

Speaking ahead of South Africa’s Group D match against the UAE at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Albie was asked if he had exchanged notes with Morne. “No, we don’t talk to each other. I think my mother, she’s more worried than us. She doesn’t know who to support, India or South Africa.”With the Proteas already through to the Super Eights, Albie stressed that the bigger challenge lies ahead.“I think the World Cup really starts now, even though we had a tough group. Now you face India, possibly Australia or Zimbabwe and the West Indies in our group. So it’s really tough. It’s going to be all good games. Yes, there will be more pressure on those games because as you move later towards the playoffs.“But I feel we’ve got a very experienced group of bowlers and batting is better so guys that have been exposed to that whether it’s an IPL or other leagues or in international cricket is a little bit different. But guys that can handle that pressure – they actually will thrive in those circumstances where there’s a bit more pressure on the games – so not too worried,” he added.Cautious about raising expectations after a runners-up finish in 2024, he said, “I don’t like to make statements about it. I think we were in a very tough group. That game against Afghanistan still gives me nightmares and it could have gone anyway.“So now I guess the first box is ticked – getting through to the next stage. To me, the World Cup starts now. Every game will be a tough game, and luckily we’ll be in Ahmedabad again where we sort of are used to the conditions now – so, let’s see.”Brought into the South African setup specifically for this tournament, Albie previously worked as Namibia’s assistant coach and as Bangladesh’s power-hitting coach. Reflecting on his current role, he said, “It’s been an interesting term, a specialist consultant. I had to figure it out myself a little bit. But I guess it’s anything it takes to help the team do well in the World Cup. So do a bit of both, batting, and fielding, mostly focus around the bowling for now and do some work with the lower order batters, around their swing and stuff like that.”Now viewing the game from the sidelines, he also spoke about shaping his coaching philosophy, influenced heavily by Stephen Fleming during his stint with Chennai Super Kings.“Initially when I started my coaching career, you still coach as a player. If you want to make a difference, but you can’t be on the field and you have to accept that fact and work out ways because players are under pressure anyway. If you as a coach want to make a difference in their games all the time, that doesn’t help anyway.“So it’s sort of finding that middle ground where you try to help, but you’re also not, as a coach, put pressure on players as they know what they’re doing. If it’s real technical things, then you can work at it, but not during tournament.“My philosophy is once you hit a World Cup like this and you start to tinker with technical stuff, that’s when you confuse players or players can get confused. So it’s more like how can I actually take pressure off guys, make them believe in themselves, and stuff like that? Stephen has been a big influence on that.“He’s one of the only coaches, or maybe the only coach in the world who’s been at a franchise for 17 years. That’s unheard of and it must mean he does something right. I’ll certainly learn a lot from him, yes,” he concluded.

With England and West Indies sealing Super Eight qualification from Group C, Scotland and Nepal are left playing for pride at the Wankhede Stadium. The contest may carry no qualification stakes, but for two teams who have endured campaigns filled with near-misses and hard lessons, a win would offer meaningful closure.

Nepal began with promise, falling just four runs short in a thrilling chase of 184 against England. That fight, however, faded in heavy defeats to Italy and West Indies, where batting failures and a lack of bowling penetration proved costly.

Scotland’s campaign has been equally dramatic. A loss to West Indies was followed by a convincing win over Italy before England brought them back down to earth. Yet their spin attack has thrived in Indian conditions, and on a surface offering the most turn in the tournament, they may sense opportunity.

For both sides, this is about finishing strong.

TimesofIndia.com in Colombo: A day after their humiliating 61-run loss against India, the Pakistan cricket team looked in good spirits ahead of their clash against Namibia at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) Ground in Colombo.It was a light session for the men in green after having two intense sessions before the India game.

They began training with a light football session, and the laughter, giggles and relaxed body language stood in stark contrast. During their two net sessions ahead of the India game, there were hardly any jokes. Everything was intense.The presence of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the interior minister in the Shehbaz Sharif cabinet, appeared to add to the pressure on the Salman Ali Agha-led side.It is learnt that Mohsin Naqvi hosted the team for dinner on the match eve and breakfast on match day, but left the stadium after Pakistan lost their sixth wicket. A similar episode occurred during the Asia Cup, when the board president met the players a day before the match.Pakistan coach Mike Hesson defended Mohsin Naqvi’s frequent visits before matches against India. “The chairman is a big supporter of ours and he comes along all the time and before games. I don’t think it adds extra pressure. That’s part of his role. Our guys know we are representing Pakistan,” Hesson said after the match.

Does Mohsin Naqvi’s presence add extra pressure?

It certainly does. With fewer cameras around, the players looked far more at ease at the SSC, where they will face Namibia in a must-win game. A win will take Pakistan to the Super Eight, while a loss will send them home.

Lack of clarity

Pakistan’s struggles against India are often framed as a question of temperament or selection, but the deeper issue is a chronic lack of role clarity. No team has experimented more at T20 World Cups. Pakistan have used 29 players across the last four editions, the most among Full Members.Take the example of Babar Azam. Pakistan’s loss to India was shaped by poor bowling execution and a top-order collapse, and Babar was not directly responsible. But his presence at No. 4 highlights a recurring flaw in Pakistan’s thinking, assigning roles that do not suit a player’s skill set.

Even during his peak years in T20 cricket from 2018 to 2023, Babar’s limitations were evident: a modest strike rate and difficulty accelerating against spin. There is no cricketing logic to suggest that a batter who struggles to dominate the Powerplay as an opener will suddenly flourish in the middle overs. The limited evidence supporting that idea largely comes against weakened or lower-ranked opposition.The same confusion extends to the bowling unit. Pakistan have overloaded their XI with all-rounders, seemingly to cover every scenario, but without a clear plan for when or whether they will be needed.Against India, Pakistan fielded eight bowling options, yet only three—Shaheen Afridi, Abrar Ahmed and Usman Tariq—were selected primarily for their bowling. One bowled just two overs, while another was introduced only in the 11th over, indicating a strategy heavily reliant on part-timers.Faheem Ashraf’s role sums up the muddle. He has not bowled a single over in the tournament and has delivered only four overs across his last eight T20Is. Batting at No. 8 suggests Pakistan doesn’t trust his batting either, limiting it to a brief two to three-over window.If Salman Agha was always going to open the bowling, it raises a fundamental question. Why load the XI with three additional spin-bowling all-rounders? Especially when Indian batters have consistently dominated Pakistan’s spinners, regardless of conditions.By stacking the team with spin, Pakistan put all their eggs in one basket. When Shaheen had an off day, there was no Plan B. Pakistan ended up bowling 18 overs of spin, something no other team has ever done in a T20 World Cup, and no side has ever used six spinners in a match at this level.T20 cricket has moved on. What once looked innovative, packing the XI with seven or eight bowling options, now appears counterproductive. Overloading bowlers often creates insecurity among specialists, who feel they have just an over or two to justify their place.

Clues from the nets

Watching Pakistan at the nets is fun when they are not under pressure.Naseem Shah bowled a scorching yorker to Saim Ayub, which the opener managed to squeeze out. Naseem sledged him, saying, “Match mein bhi aisa khelta” (You should have played Bumrah’s yorker like this in the match as well). Saim smiled and nodded.Shadab Khan, who conceded 17 runs in the only over he bowled, bowled mostly to Saim and kept asking questions about his lengths.Saim’s opening partner Sahibzada Farhan instructed Naseem Shah and left-arm pacer Salman Mirza to bowl back of a length. Farhan looked at ease, pulling and hooking the bowlers in the nets.Then came the skipper, not Salman Ali Agha, but Babar Azam, the former two-time captain. Shadab Khan and Abrar Ahmed kept addressing Babar as “skipper”.Captain or not, Babar remains a leader in the dressing room. He kept sharing inputs with Abrar and others. However, he looked uncomfortable when it came to power-hitting and appeared unhappy with his shot selection. Coach Mike Hesson rushed towards him, shared a few words and tried to calm him down. After a decent power-hitting session, Babar left the nets visibly upset with himself.

Pressure on Babar and Shaheen

The pressure is mounting on senior pros Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi. Babar has not hit a six against a Full Member team in T20 World Cups since the 10-wicket win over India in Dubai in 2021.The 31-year-old endured a poor Big Bash League season, scoring just 202 runs in 11 innings at a strike rate of 103.06. When Babar was dropped from Pakistan’s T20I side, Mike Hesson said he needed to perform in the BBL, where his returns were underwhelming.

Shaheen, too, is no longer the force he once was. The left-arm seamer is becoming predictable. At the nets, it appeared unlikely he would play Wednesday’s fixture. He barely bowled, despite encouragement from the coach. Instead, he batted and rolled his arm over with left-arm wrist spin to Fakhar Zaman, who may return to the side, with Babar moving back to the top. In that scenario, Sahibzada Farhan could make way.“One game doesn’t define their capability or calibre,” Usman Tariq said in the pre-match press conference.“There’s no doubt that Shaheen and Babar have won many matches for Pakistan. If something like this happens, they know how to recover because they are senior players,” he added.Until Pakistan stop confusing flexibility with indecision, India will continue to expose the cracks. Talent has never been the problem. Clarity has. And unless roles are clearly defined and trusted, Pakistan will keep arriving at World Cups with options on paper and uncertainty on the field.

India’s teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has skipped his Class 10 board examinations this year as cricketing commitments continue to take priority in his rapidly rising career. The CBSE Class 10 exams commenced on February 17 and will run until March 11, but the youngster was absent on the opening day despite having completed all formalities.According to school authorities, Vaibhav’s examination form had been submitted and his admit card was duly issued. His allotted centre was Poddar International School. However, he did not report for the paper.

Confirming his absence, Poddar International School principal NK Sinha said: “Vaibhav Suryavanshi aaj absent hain. Woh exam centre par nahi aaye hain. CBSE ki policy ke mutabik humne unhe absent mark kar diya hai. Agar koi student exam mein present nahi hota hai, toh humein use absent hi darj karna padta hai. Humein umeed thi ki woh exam dene aayenge, lekin unki aur bhi kai zimmedariyan hain. Ho sakta hai cricket match ho ya practice ho. Mujhe lagta hai ki woh agli baar zaroor exam denge.”Vaibhav’s absence comes at a time when he is enjoying a purple patch with the bat. At the recently concluded Under-19 World Cup 2026, he emerged as India’s leading run-getter and the second-highest scorer overall. In seven innings, he amassed 439 runs at an impressive average of 62.71 and a blazing strike rate of 169.50, including one century and three fifties.He capped off the tournament in style, smashing 175 off just 80 balls in the final, an innings studded with 15 fours and 15 sixes. The knock earned him both Player of the Match and Player of the Series honours.Vaibhav is now set to represent Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2026 under Riyan Parag’s captaincy. Last season, he scored 252 runs in seven matches, including a breathtaking 35-ball century against Gujarat Titans.

Pakistan spinner Usman Tariq struck an optimistic note on Tuesday, insisting the side can recover from their heavy T20 World Cup loss to India and still secure a place in the next stage of the tournament.India’s emphatic 61-run victory has left Pakistan in a must-win situation. They now need to defeat Namibia in their final Group A fixture in Colombo on Wednesday to book a berth in the Super Eights. A loss would end their campaign, with Pakistan currently sitting third in the group behind the USA on net run rate.

There remains a slim mathematical possibility for the Netherlands to advance as well, but that would require a substantial victory over co-hosts India in Ahmedabad on the same day.“Lifting the team is only difficult when you don’t work on your mistakes committed in the last game,” Tariq told reporters.“We have worked on our mistakes so I think it will not be a tough task.“We have a resolve not to commit the same mistakes again.”Pakistan drew criticism for opting to field first against India and then collapsing to 114 all out in 18 overs while chasing 176.“We can feel their (fans’) disappointment because the match is watched by the whole nation,” Tariq said.“So we feel their pain but I am sure when we play them (India) next we will put up a better show.”He also brushed aside speculation that Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi might be dropped for the Namibia clash after underwhelming displays.“Both Azam and Shaheen have won many matches for Pakistan so if they did not perform well in one game we should not write them off,” said Tariq.Pakistan have met Namibia just once before in a T20 international. Namibia, meanwhile, have lost all three of their group matches.“Whoever we play we have the confidence to beat them and our goal is to play the final and win the cup which we will try our best to achieve.”

Zimbabwe: Ben Curran, Clive Madande, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Dion Myers, Sikandar Raza, Brian Bennett, Ryan Burl, Brad Evans, Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, Graeme Cremer, Tinotenda Maposa, Wellington Masakadza, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava.

Ireland: Lorcan Tucker, Ross Adair, Ben Calitz, Harry Tector, Tim Tector, Sam Topping, Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Matthew Humphreys, Josh Little, Barry McCarthy, Ben White, Craig Young.

NEW DELHI: The ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 is at the fag end of the group stage matches. Till Monday (February 16), 30 out of 40 group stage matches have been completed in the tournament, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. The race for Super Eights spots is in full swing.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!So far, five teams have booked their tickets to the next stage, namely defending champions India, co-hosts Sri Lanka, the West Indies, England and South Africa. Three spots in Super 8s are still up for grabs.Interestingly, only five of the 20 competing teams have been officially eliminated from the Super 8s race yet, meaning 10 teams are still mathematically in the race for the final three spots.

Only one of the four groups has a complete picture of who has qualified and been eliminated. From Group C, the Windies and England are already in the Super 8s, and the remaining three teams in the group — Scotland (late replacement for Bangladesh), debutants Italy and Nepal — are eliminated.In the other three groups, one spot each is still up for grabs, and only two teams — Namibia from Group A and Oman from Group B — are out of the race.In Group A, India are through to the next stage, and Pakistan, USA and the Netherlands are vying for the remaining spot. USA have played all their four group matches and are in second position behind India in the points table with four points. With four points, Pakistan are third due to an inferior net run rate to USA. Pakistan face Namibia next, and a win will secure their spot in the Super 8s. The Netherlands have a match against India and are still in contention with two points.

In Group B, Sri Lanka stormed into the Super 8s with a thumping win over Australia, leaving the Aussies on the brink of early exit. Australia now need a miracle to progress after two consecutive defeats — against Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka. Zimbabwe are in the driver’s seat in the race for the remaining spot from the group as they have two matches in hand. A win against Ireland on Tuesday will take Zimbabwe into the Super 8s, leaving Australia’s campaign devastated. Australia can only progress if they beat Oman by a massive margin and Zimbabwe lose both their matches — against Ireland and Sri Lanka.

Group C is sorted, with West Indies and England already through to the next round.

In Group D, last edition’s finalists South Africa are in the Super 8s from the group. Interestingly, all the remaining four teams are still in contention, some realistically and some as a mathematical long shot. New Zealand are at the front of the race with four points, and a win against Canada on Tuesday in their final group game will propel them into the next round. Afghanistan, UAE and Canada are all hoping for the Kiwis to lose their final game to remain in the race.

NEW DELHI: New Zealand were dealt an unexpected blow ahead of their crucial T20 World Cup clash against Canada after skipper Mitchell Santner was ruled out due to illness caused by what stand-in captain Daryl Mitchell described as a “dodgy burger.” With a Super 8 berth within touching distance, New Zealand were forced into a late reshuffle at the toss as Canada elected to bat first on Tuesday.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!“Mitch had a bit of a dodgy burger last night and he’s not feeling too great today, so hopefully he’s good to go in 24 hours,” Mitchell said, underlining the suddenness of the setback. All-rounder Cole McConchie was drafted in as a like-for-like replacement, with Mitchell adding, “Cole comes in for Santner as well, so again it’s a very similar role. He’ll be excited to get the opportunity.”

Live Score: New Zealand vs CanadaThe Black Caps were already managing another enforced absence, with pace spearhead Lockie Ferguson returning home for the birth of his first child. His replacement, Kyle Jamieson, was welcomed back into the XI. “Firstly excited for Lockie to have his first baby and he’ll be back soon, but Kyle Jamieson comes in for him, so it’s a like for like replacement, which is good,” Mitchell said.Despite the disruptions, the stakes remain clear. A third win in Group D would seal New Zealand’s place in the Super 8s, keeping their campaign firmly on track after earlier victories over Afghanistan and the UAE and a setback against South Africa. Mitchell expressed confidence in the team’s ability to adapt.“It brings different challenges. A number of us have played quite a few games here… so we understand the conditions. We’ll assess the surface quickly and adapt as the game unfolds,” he said.