Pakistan won the toss and opted to bat against Namibia in their T20 World Cup group match in Colombo on Wednesday (February 18, 2026).

Pakistan have made two changes to the side that lost to India on Sunday (February 15, 2026).

The team has dropped off-colour pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi and leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed. Salman Mirza and Khawaja Nafay have been pencilled in to replace the duo.

Teams:

Pakistan: Salman Agha (C), Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Usman Khan(w), Khawaja Nafay, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Salman Mirza, Usman Tariq

Namibia: Gerhard Erasmus(C), Louren Steenkamp, Jan Frylinck, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Alexander Volschenk, JJ Smit, Zane Green(w), Ruben Trumpelmann, Willem Myburgh, Bernard Scholtz, Jack Brassell.

South Africa skipper Aiden Markram won the toss and elected to bowl against the UAE in a T20 World Cup match in New Delhi on Wednesday (February 18, 2026).

South Africa, who have already qualified for the Super 8s from Group D alongside New Zealand, will look to carry their winning momentum into the next stage of the tournament.

Teams:

United Arab Emirates: Aryansh Sharma (w), Muhammad Waseem (c), Alishan Sharafu, Sohaib Khan, Harshit Kaushik, Muhammad Arfan, Dhruv Parashar, Muhammad Farooq, Haider Ali, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Jawadullah.

South Africa: Aiden Markram (c), Quinton de Kock (w), Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis, Tristan Stubbs, Jason Smith, George Linde, Corbin Bosch, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Kwena Maphaka.

India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak threw his weight behind swashbuckling opener Abhishek Sharma, who finds himself under the cosh after failing to open his account in his first two outings in the ongoing T20 World Cup.

While there are claims about Abhishek’s vulnerability on the off-side, Kotak said that getting into the minutiae with the 25-year-old would be counterproductive.

“We don’t overanalyse unnecessarily. Sometimes, you only start making more assumptions than the opposition. He has his plans sorted,” the former Saurashtra batter explained on the eve of the match against the Netherlands at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

That Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson had been planning for three days how to dismiss Abhishek was a feather in the Indian batter’s cap, according to Kotak.

“Credit to Abhishek that they are so concerned about him. They could have planned to get him out early, but I don’t think they could have planned that he would get out at mid-on,” he quipped.

Pakistan had prepared for the threat of Abhishek, but Ishan Kishan came out of the syllabus to hammer Salman Agha’s men into submission.

Kishan, returning to the National set-up after more than two years in the wilderness, has undergone a stunning career rejuvenation following a tough period when he lost his BCCI central contract.

“He is not someone who cares too much about things, which the T20 game requires. He is very talented because he can play all around the ground, so he is very difficult to restrict if you don’t get him out,” Kotak said.

The coach also defended Tilak Varma’s 24-ball 25 vigil, during which the southpaw looked tentative against the Pakistan spinners.

“Tilak played exactly the way the team wanted. Considering the wicket, we were more focused on building partnerships and getting to the par score, around 160”.

Michael Jones’ brisk 71 steered Scotland to a competitive 170 for 7 in their inconsequential T20 World Cup Group C match against Nepal in Mumbai on Tuesday (February 17, 2026).

Both teams were out of reckoning for the Super Eights, with the West Indies and England advancing to the next round from the group.

Barring Jones, who struck eight fours and three sixes in his 45-ball knock, Scottish batters failed to convert their starts but still managed to finish at a competitive total on a flat deck in Mumbai.

It was Jones who did the heavy-lifting in his 80-run stand for the opening wicket with George Munsey, who failed to get any momentum despite staying in the middle till the halfway mark of Scotland’s innings.

While the right-handed Jones pierced gaps comfortably and met the ball with the sweet part of his bat to get boundaries at regular intervals, all that Munsey could do was play a second fiddle while managing 27 runs off 29 balls with four boundaries.

Munsey’s frustration of not being able to get a move on was apparent when he fell on the final ball of the 10th over, connecting with an innocuous full toss from Rohit Paudel with the toe end of the bat. The Scottish opener smacked his bat in frustration when Sundeep Jora completed a fine diving catch in front of him at long-on.

But Jora and Nepal appeared to have claimed a skier when McMullen hit one off Nandan Yadav on the first ball of the 14th over.

Positioned at mid-on, Jora did not have to move more than five paces, but to his credit, he kept his eyes on the ball. When the ball eventually did come back to him, Jora didn’t realise that it went through his hands and hit the turf while he fell on the ground in the process.

Jones continued to unleash his big hits and smacked a 94m hit straight into the balcony of his dressing room with the ball settling into the hands of his teammate Tom Bruce.

However, Jones’ innings ended soon after when Kami, coming round the wicket in the 16th over, cleaned up the Scotland opener and took a brilliant one-handed grab to take a return catch off McMullen.

Scotland lost all momentum in the latter half, especially after the dismissal of Jones, with Kami returning 3/25 and Nandan Yadav taking 2/34.

Teams:

Nepal: Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh(wk), Rohit Paudel(c), Dipendra Singh Airee, Aarif Sheikh, Lokesh Bam, Gulsan Jha, Sompal Kami, Sundeep Jora, Nandan Yadav, Sandeep Lamichhane.

Scotland: George Munsey, Michael Jones, Brandon McMullen, Richie Berrington(c), Tom Bruce, Michael Leask, Matthew Cross(wk), Mark Watt, Oliver Davidson, Brad Wheal, Brad Currie.

When Australia captain Mitchell Marsh was asked about his team’s hopes of making it through to the Super Eight after a demoralising loss against Sri Lanka on Monday, he mentioned ‘the luck of the Irish”.

Australia had to hope for Zimbabwe to falter against both Ireland and Sri Lanka in its next two games before facing Oman in its last game with the hopes of overturning a Net Run Rate deficit. Unfortunately, the rain gods in Pallekele did not get the memo.

The ICC T20 World Cup Group-B encounter against Ireland being called off before the toss meant Zimbabwe accumulated enough points to join Sri Lanka in the final eight. As for Australia, it failed to qualify out of the group stage for the first time since 2009.

A nagging drizzle since the morning of the game meant the entire ground was covered long before the scheduled start of 3 p.m. local time. The grass banks of the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, which were teeming with passionate Sri Lankan supporters just 18 hours ago, wore a desolate look.

Fans of team Zimbabwe cheer as the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup group stage match against Ireland was called off due to rain at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy on February 17, 2026.
| Photo Credit:
AFP

The 500-odd fans that were waiting patiently in the stands did not even need an umbrella for the drizzle. But in one of cricket’s mysterious idiosyncrasies, that was enough to prevent the contest from getting underway.

Also Read | T20 World Cup: India continues to rise with clinical win over Pakistan

Zimbabwe isn’t complaining. Nor is Ireland, which had very little to gain out of the contest. A downcast Australia, though, will have to complete the formalities against Oman and head back home without a semifinal appearance for the third successive edition since its 2021 triumph.

The Colombo detour proved to be a fruitful endeavour for the Men in Blue. With a clinical triumph against Pakistan, India enhanced its defending champion’s halo in the ICC T20 World Cup.

A Super Eight berth has been sealed, and while sterner battles await, Suryakumar Yadav’s men can be proud about their initial campaign. Any clash against Pakistan, with its historical baggage, diplomatic unease, and emotional swirls, is never easy, even if on pure form this Indian unit will often prevail over the neighbour.

On an otherwise fine Sunday night, refusing to shake hands with their Pakistani rivals, remains the lone aberration for the Indians. On cricketing merits, India kept ticking the boxes. On a pitch overwhelmingly in favour of spin, heroes were found.

Kishan’s special effort

First up, Ishan Kishan essayed a stunning knock. While others often struggled to gauge the pace and turn off the pitch, the southpaw hustled his runs all over. His 77 was a special effort, the kind that would deflate any rival attack. Even if Salman Agha’s men plied their spin on a sluggish turf, Kishan was adept at scrambling their lines with his all-round shots.

His opening act ensured a solid platform for India to surge high. The incremental runs scored by Suryakumar and Shivam Dube were an added bonus. India’s 175 was a tough one to scale at the R. Premadasa Stadium, a venue where chasing is never easy.

Meanwhile, the ducks from Abhishek Sharma and Hardik Pandya need not cause any alarm. In the cyclical nature of form in the fickle T20s, they are bound to find an upswing soon. Hardik, the bowler, though, did his job. Along with Jasprit Bumrah, he ensured that three wickets were prised out and the Indian spinners could step in with less pressure.

Pakistan’s unravelling a sporting tragedy

Axar Patel, Varun Chakaravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav had the cushion of solid runs to defend, and could further aggravate the early wounds inflicted by the seamers. While India deserves all credit, Pakistan’s unravelling remains a sporting tragedy. From those days in the 1980s and 1990s, when it tested even the then mighty West Indies, the current slide seems terrible.

The latest news about the health issues affecting its greatest star, Imran Khan, languishing in jail, for political reasons, further darkens the air. India, though, is all about aura and consistency, traits that will be again on display at its next stop in Ahmedabad.

India captain Suryakumar Yadav dedicated Sunday’s (February 16, 2026) Twenty20 World Cup victory over Pakistan to fans across the country, while his opposite ​number Salman Agha urged perspective after a chastening defeat in a contest that ‌never matched its blockbuster billing.

The much-hyped showdown between the South ​Asian neighbours, who engaged in a military conflict that nearly ⁠snowballed into a fully-fledged war last year, failed to ignite as India racked up 175-7 and then returned to bundle out Pakistan for 114 in 18 overs.

The ‌match itself passed without flashpoints despite the tensions, but there was no shaking of hands between the rival captains at ‌the toss. Both Suryakumar and Salman looked grim when the coin ‌was ⁠flipped and averted eye contact.

The mood was completely different when ⁠the India captain spoke after the match at the R. Premadasa Stadium.

“This is for India. We played the same brand of cricket that we wanted to play,” the batter said, ​sporting a wide grin.

Praise for Ishan Kishan

Suryakumar heaped ‌praise on opener Ishan Kishan whose rapid 77 fashioned their victory.

“The way Ishan Kishan batted is the same as he did in our previous games and on the domestic circuit. Ishan thought outside the ‌box and took responsibility in the powerplay.”

Player of the match Kishan ​conceded it was not just another game for them given the tensions between the nations.

“India v Pakistan is a special ⁠game for us and our country,” Kishan said.

“It is a very important game. They had good spinners and we tried to play good shots. ‌It gives us confidence going ahead in the tournament.”

Salman expected team to do better

The match had been in doubt after Pakistan had decided to boycott it in solidarity with Bangladesh, who refused to tour India over safety concerns and were replaced by Scotland in the 20-team tournament.

The governing International Cricket Council held hectic behind-the-scenes discussions to salvage the fixture even though it ended in a ‌lop-sided contest with India improving their T20 World Cup record against Pakistan to 8-1.

Pakistan ​captain Salman felt his teammates should have done better despite the burden of expectation on their shoulders.

“In these games the emotions ⁠are going to be high but we have played enough cricket,” Salman said. “We ⁠need to get ourselves together and look to the game in a few days’ time. You have to see the big picture. ‌We need to qualify for the Super Eight now.”

Pakistan will need to beat Namibia in their final group game to qualify for ​the Super Eight where the arch-rivals may clash again.