T20 World Cup 2026 Archives

England confirm Sri Lanka tour as T20 World Cup 2026 warm-up

LONDON: The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Wednesday revealed the schedule of their tour to Sri Lanka in 2026, which will serve as preparations for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup later that year.

The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.

The England men’s cricket team will play three ODIs on January 22, 24 and 27, followed by three T20Is on January 30, February 1 and February 3.

The venues for the matches will be revealed in due course.

The series will give England vital exposure to subcontinental conditions ahead of the showpiece event.

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England, having previously won the T20 World Cup in 2010 and 2022, will be eyeing their third title in the 2026 edition in India and Sri Lanka.

It’s worth noting that the tour of Sri Lanka will mark England’s first white-ball tour of the island in over seven years.

Their previous visit came in 2018, when they won the ODI series 3-1 and the solitary T20I.

The sides last clashed in the shortest format during the T20 World Cup 2022, where England beat Sri Lanka in the group stage before going on to lift the trophy.

Prior to the Sri Lanka tour, England are scheduled to face South Africa (September 2–14), Ireland (September 17–21) and New Zealand (October 18–November 1) in a string of white-ball series, before a five-Test Ashes battle in Australia from November 21 to January 8.

England Men’s Tour of Sri Lanka

1st ODI: January 22, 2026
2nd ODI: January 24, 2026
3rd ODI: January 27, 2026
1st T20I: January 30, 2026
2nd T20I: February 1, 2026
3rd T20I: February 3, 2026

READ: Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Afridi slip in ICC ODI Rankings

Australia’s opening pair confirmed for T20 World Cup 2026

Australia have named their first-choice opening duo of Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head for the T20 World Cup, which is set to commence in Sri Lanka and India next year.

The T20I skipper, Mitchell Marsh, on Friday confirmed that he and southpaw Travis Head will occupy the top two spots until next year’s shorter format World Cup.

The announcement came ahead of the three-match T20I series opener against South Africa, which is set to begin on August 10 at Darwin.

“It’ll be myself and Heady [Travis Head] up the top for the foreseeable future,” Marsh told reporters in Darwin on Friday.

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“Obviously we’ve played a lot together, (we’ve) got a great relationship, so (we’ll) start there.”

Australia is coming off a 5-0 clean sweep over West Indies, where Marsh opened the batting in all five matches, a thing he had done only once before the tour.

Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head had never opened in the T20I format for Australia; however, they have been pivotal in ODIs, boasting an excellent record.

The pair have amassed 282 runs in just five innings at a stellar average of 70.50 in the shorter format.

Across all formats, Marsh and Head have accumulated 504 runs across 14 innings at an average of 38.67, including one century and three half-century partnerships.

Australia T20 squad:

Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Owen, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa

Schedule of Australia-South Africa T20I Series

August 10: First T20I, Marrara Stadium, Darwin

August 12: Second T20I, Marrara Stadium, Darwin

August 16: Third T20I, Cazalys Stadium, Cairns

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Italy creates history, qualifies for ICC Men’s T20 World Cup for first time

THE HAGUE: Italy cricket team created history on Friday after securing a place in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 for the first time, marking a significant milestone in the nation’s cricketing journey.

The Italian cricket team booked their place in the World Cup due to a superior run rate, despite being tied with Jersey on the final points table for the Europe Region.

Italy finished with five points, achieving two wins from four matches, with one match ending in a no result.

After securing a narrow win in the seventh match of the Europe region final against Scotland on Wednesday at the Sportpark Westvliet, Voorburg, the Italian cricket team inched closer to the historic achievement.

However, following Scotland’s defeat to Jersey, Italy’s cricket team spot was confirmed despite an 11-run defeat against the Netherlands.

In the 10th match of the qualifiers, the Netherlands chased down the modest total of 135 runs in just 16.2 overs, losing just one wicket in the process, thanks to Max O’Dowd and skipper Scott Edwards’ composed knocks.

With this win, the Netherlands also booked their place in the T20 World Cup 2026, set to be held in Sri Lanka and India.

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Earlier, after opting to bat first, Italy could only manage to score 134-7 in their allocated 20 overs, with Benjamin Manenti top scoring with 30 runs.

For the Netherlands, seasoned cricketer Roelof van der Merwe scalped three wickets while Kyle Klein supported him well with his two wickets.

In another match, Scotland, which had participated in four consecutive T20 World Cups starting with the 2016 edition, suffered defeat at the hands of Jersey.

Scotland was positioned fourth in the standings with three points from three matches. As a result, their final match against Jersey was a must-win for them.

Jersey clinched the victory on the last ball thriller to stun Scotland while chasing a meagre target of 134 runs. For Jersey opener Nick Greenwood starred with the bat, scoring 49 off 36 deliveries, laced with seven fours.

READ: Joe Root adds another feather to his cap, breaks world record with stunning catch

WATCH: Italy stuns Scotland to move closer to 2026 T20 World Cup qualification

THE Hague: The Italy cricket team is on the brink of history as they stand just one win away from securing a berth in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup after defeating Scotland by 12 runs.

Italy secured a narrow win in the seventh match of the Europe region final here at the Sportpark Westvliet, Voorburg on Wednesday.

The surprising victory moved the European nation ahead of Scotland and Jersey to the top of the points table, with two wins from three matches, one of which was abandoned.

Now, popularly known as a football-loving nation, Italy is one win away from a T20 World Cup berth set to be played next year in India and Sri Lanka.

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Italy’s skipper, Joe Burns, and Former Australian opener, decided to bat first, scoring 167-6 in their allocated 20 overs.

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The experienced player from the county circuit, Emilio Gay, proved his worth with a blazing half century of just balls with the aid of six boundaries and two maximums.

Harry Manenti’s run a ball 38 runs provided ample support from the other end while Grant Stewart, who contributed a quick 44 from 27 deliveries, ensured a strong finish at the back end of the innings.

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In reply, Scotland’s George Munsey struck 72 off 61 deliveries to keep his team in the hunt; however, Manenti’s brilliant show with the ball sealed an emphatic win for Italy.

Player of the Match Harry Manenti took five wickets for 31 runs in his quota of four overs.

Italy will face the Netherlands in their final match on Friday. A victory would pave their way toward a historic World Cup berth.

READ: Babar, Rizwan, Shaheen train with Pakistan’s T20I squad for Bangladesh series

ILT20 shifts to December-January window ahead of T20 World Cup 2026

The International League T20 (ILT20) is all set to return for its fourth season, but this time with a new schedule.

The UAE’s flagship franchise T20 league will now be held from December 2, 2025, to January 4, 2026, moving away from its traditional January-February slot to avoid scheduling clashes and to wrap up well ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, slated for February-March 2026.

This shift means ILT20 Season 4 will open on December 2, which is also the UAE’s National Day (Eid-al-Etihad), something the organisers are proud to celebrate alongside the tournament launch.

In past seasons, ILT20 ran parallel to several major leagues, including South Africa’s SA20, Australia’s BBL, Bangladesh’s BPL, and, until 2024, Pakistan’s PSL.

The new window aims to ease that congestion and allow a broader pool of international players to participate.

ILT20 CEO David White explained the rationale behind the revised schedule.

“Following extensive discussions with all our stakeholders, we believe the 2 December 2025 to 4 January 2026 tournament window is ideal,” he said.

“The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup begins in early February, so it was important for us to start and finish Season 4 well before that, allowing players enough time to prepare for national duty.”

It’s still unclear whether this change is a one-off or the start of a permanent shift in the ILT20 calendar.

Meanwhile, ILT20 chairman and Emirates Cricket Board vice-chairman Khalid Al Zarooni highlighted the emotional significance of aligning the tournament’s start with the UAE National Day.

“The UAE is home to people from around the world, including millions of diehard cricket fans. It’s a real honour for us to kick off the region’s biggest T20 league on the same day as the UAE National Day 2025,” he stated.

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USA, Ireland among 12 teams locked in for T20 World Cup 2026

A total of 12 teams have been confirmed for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 after the Super 8 stage of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024 was finalized with Bangladesh claiming the last spot.

The T20 World Cup 2026 will follow the same format as the ongoing edition, featuring 20 teams, divided into four groups of five. The top two teams from each group will then qualify for the semi-finals.

Meanwhile, after Bangladesh edged past Nepal in a low-scoring thriller and advanced into the next round, 12 teams have been confirmed for the next edition of the mega event.

The teams to secure qualification before the regional qualifiers are hosts India and Sri Lanka, and seven teams from the Super 8s of the T20 World Cup 2024 — Australia, England, Bangladesh, USA, Afghanistan, South Africa and West Indies.

Meanwhile, Pakistan, New Zealand and Ireland are the remaining three teams to qualify for the T20 World Cup 2026 on the basis of superior team ranking.

Notably, the remaining eight teams for the mega event will be decided through regional qualifiers, the details of which will be announced in due course.

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It is worth mentioning here that the internet was flooded with rumours that claimed that Pakistan would need to partake in regional qualifiers to feature in the next edition of the T20 World Cup after the former champions were knocked out of the group stage of the tournament for the first time.

The Green Shirts had a disastrous start to their T20 World Cup 2024 campaign as they suffered a shock loss against the USA in the Super Over.

Pakistan then succumbed to a frustrating six-run defeat against arch-rivals India at a jam-packed Nassau County International Cricket Stadium on June 9.

The back-to-back defeats put Pakistan on the verge of an early exit from the tournament.

The former champions then finally got on the winning track when they registered a hard-fought seven-wicket victory over Canada.

Pakistan then edged past Ireland in another stiff challenge to bow out of the T20 World Cup 2024 with a win.

The 2009 champions finished third in Group A standings with four points in four matches.

READ: Tamim Iqbal wants Shahid Afridi to “show the way” to Pakistan cricket

Former Australian Test batter to represent Italy

Former Australia Test opener Joe Burns will represent Italy to help the European nation qualify for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 as a tribute to his late brother Dominic.

Burns’ brother Dominic passed away in February this year after representing Australia in 23 Tests between 2014 and 2020.

The opening batter was linked with Queensland since 2011 but did not manage to attain a contract for the 2024-25 domestic season in Australia.

“This isn’t just a number and this isn’t just a jersey,” Joe Burns wrote on Instagram while sharing a picture of the Italian jersey with the number 85 on it.

“This is for the people who I know will be looking down proudly from above.

“In February of this year, my brother sadly passed away. 85 was his number in the last team he played (and his birth year) for the mighty Northern Federals in sub-districts.”

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Notably, Joe Burns is already eligible to represent Italy due to his mother’s heritage.

“I often reflect on the bravery and commitment it must have taken my Grandparents when they left Italy to start a new life in Australia,” Burns wrote on Instagram.

“They found a way to make it work through adversity and this has always given me solace through life’s lessons.”

It is worth mentioning here that Italy are yet to qualify for a World Cup in any format.

They narrowly missed out on sealing their spot in the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 as they finished third in the European Qualifiers.

“I’m so proud to represent Italy on our path to the 2026 World Cup,” Burns added.

“The fields of Rome may be a long way from the Gabba, MCG or our front yard growing up, but I feel like I’m coming home.”

The European side will kick start their expedition to book their place in the next edition of the T20 World Cup next month at a sub-regional tournament in Rome.

READ: Canada stun Nepal in T20 World Cup 2024 warm-up