West Indies and the defending champions sealed their Super 8 spots at the marquee tournament.
Two-time winners the West Indies have found form at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. They defeated Nepal to march into the Super 8 unbeaten.
USA impressed during their convincing win over Namibia in Chennai. The final fixture on the day saw India make it three wins on the trot as they beat Pakistan by 61 runs.
India v Pakistan
A clinical display with the bat and the ball saw India seal their Super 8 qualification with a 61-run triumph over arch-rivals Pakistan.
Defending 176, Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah were on the mark as they duo shared three wickets between them in their opening burst to help India mount early pressure on Pakistan.
Pandya, who started the proceedings for India with the ball, dismissed Sahibzada Farhan for a four-ball duck in his first over.
Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah, got the better of Saim Ayub and Pakistan captain Salman Agha. Axar Patel then made it four wickets for India in the powerplay, removing the seasoned Babar Azam out of the equation.
With the wickets continuing to tumble at one end, wicket-keeper-batter Usman Khan led the recovery for Pakistan, collecting boundaries against the run of play.
Scoring 44 off 34 deliveries, Khan consolidated six fours and a six to keep Pakistan in the play in Colombo. However, just as he was looking to turn the tide in Pakistan’s favour, Axar Patel struck with the ball once again.
Luring the right-hander into coming down the crease, Axar got one past him and Ishan Kishan completed the stumping.
Not too later, Kuldeep Yadav and Tilak Varma also got into the thick of it. Kuldeep got rid of Mohammad Nawaz with Shivam Dube completing the catch. Meanwhile, Tilak Varma snapped wicket of Shadab Khan in his first over. Varun Chakaravarthy then nabbed a quickfire brace to reduce Pakistan to nine wickets down.
But it was Hardik Pandya, who wrapped thing up with the final wicket, sealing a 61-run win for the co-hosts and the defending champions.
Earlier, courtesy of a whirlwind start by Ishan Kishan, India posted 175/7, the highest score in an India vs Pakistan contest at the T20 World Cup in Colombo.
After electing to field first, Salman Agha surprised many as he opened the bowling. And the Pakistan captain’s gamble paid off as he dismissed Abhishek Sharma while conceding only one run in the over. It was Sharma’s second duck of the tournament.
India responded well after the early wicket, grabbing 15 runs off the second over by Shaheen Shah Afridi. Unstoppable since coming back to the Indian team, Kishan was on a roll against Pakistan as well. His innings was a heady mix of power and smarts, as he piled on 77 off 40 balls, with the help of three sixes and 10 fours to give India just the jumpstart they needed.
On a slowish wicket, where Pakistan used six spinners, leg-break bowler Saim Ayub was Pakistan’s trump card. He castled Kishan, limiting the damage, and then sent off Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya off successive balls and narrowly missed a hat-trick. Usman Tariq, Agha and Shaheen Afridi picked up a wicket each.
While Suryakumar Yadav (32) and Tilak Varma (25) kept the scoreboard ticking in the middle overs, Shivam Dube and Rinku Singh’s cameos at the end pushed India past 170-mark.
India have also opted for an extra spin option, bringing in Kuldeep Yadav for Arshdeep Singh.
USA score comfortable win over Namibia
Electing to bat first, USA went full throttle against the fellow associate team. Captain Monank Patel and Shayan Jahangir set the tone for the innings with a 68-run opening partnership in 41 balls. USA plundered 65/0 in powerplay, with the help of four fours and four sixes. Patel also became the first US batter to notch 1000 runs in T20Is during his half-century.
Leg-spinner Willem Myburgh stalled the US march by packing off the openers. The in-form Saiteja Mukkamalla also fell to Gerhard Erasmus after Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton completed a superb catch at the boundary.
It was only a brief lull as the US middle order picked up the pace again and cantered to a big finish. Sanjay Krishnamurthi and Milind Kumar (28) used up only 47 balls for a 87-run fourth wicket stand. Going at a strike rate of over 200, Krishnamurthi struck six sixes, including one to bring up his half-century, and four fours for 68.
Erasmus and Myburgh picked up two wickets each but it was a difficult afternoon for Namibian bowlers. Their patchy fielding did not help matters either.
It’s a hefty target and Namibia have charged out of the blocks, scoring 57/1 in powerplay. Shadley van Schalkwyk, the top wicket-taker in the World Cup so far, provided the breakthrough once again with a smart caught and bowled to dismiss Jan Frylinck.
When Louren Steenkamp was leading the charge, Namibia were able to keep pace with their rivals. The opener struck five fours and three sixes on the way to 58. However, USA pegged them back with the wickets of set batters Steenkamp and Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton (28).
Despite a handy 31 by JJ Smit lower down the order, Namibia were not able to recover enough to threaten the US target. Van Schalkwyk was the pick of the bowlers with 2/30.
USA registered their second successive win at the T20 World Cup 2026 as they beat Namibia by 31 runs.
West Indies confirm Super 8 spot
West Indies secured their Super 8 berth at the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 with a dominant nine-wicket win over Nepal at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Put into bat first, Nepal recovered 46/5 to post 133/8 in 20 overs. It was never going to be enough against a power-packed West Indies batting line-up that romped to 134/1 in 15.2 overs. This was the third successive win for the Caribbean side that now sits atop the competitive Group C with six points.
Nepal have tapered off after taking England the distance in their tournament opener and are out of the reckoning for the next stage.
Akeal Hosein drew first blood, dismissing Kushal Burthel with a ball that skid onto the stumps. Matthew Forde then trapped captain Rohit Paudel leg before wicket before Jason Holder began his spell with the wicket of Aasif Sheikh.
Nepal ended powerplay on 22/3, the lowest score in the first six overs in T20 World Cup history.
With their fans turning up in numbers, Nepal batters gave them something to cheer as Dipendra Singh Airee pushed back. After steadying the innings, Airee led the late Nepal charge. He scored 58 off 47, with the help of three fours and three sixes, registering only the second half-century for his country in the T20 World Cup.
His 54-run partership with Sompal Kami (26 not out) took Nepal to a respectable position. They switched gears in the last five overs, reaching the crescendo in the 19th over where they plundered 18 runs.
Holder, who bowled an incredible opening spell of 2/4 in two overs, registered his first four-wicket haul in the tournament, finishing at 4/27. Hosein, Forde, Shamar Joseph and Roston Chase claimed a wicket each.
In response, West Indies mustered 44 in powerplay for the loss of Brandon King’s wicket. King wasn’t at his comfortable best, and handed an easy catch to mid on off Nandan Yadav, departing for 22.
But Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmyer did not let Nepal get a toehold into the match. Going full-throttle, Hope struck five fours and three sixes for an unbeaten 61 while Hetmyer scored 46 with the help of four fours and two sixes. It was as comprehensive a win, as West Indies would have hoped, to clinch their Super 8 berth.
