Chennai, Feb 3 (.) With India scheduled to play three of its four Group A league matches, the home advantage
place the Number one ranked side in T20s and ODIs as the firm favourties as the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026
gets underway on February 7 when Pakistan face the Netherlands in Colombo, Sri Lanka, which is the co-host.
In the Group A preview released by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday said the tournament hosts
and defending champions India look to do something they have never done in World Cups and retain the trophy.
The surprise package were the USA, who will once again be fierce competitors, as will Namibia, who round out
the group.
India:
The number one-ranked side in both T20Is and ODIs, India are the force to be reckoned with in the white-ball formats.
In their batting ranks, they have Abhishek Sharma, who in just 37 matches has made 1,267 runs, including two hundreds.
He possesses the highest career strike rate in T20Is with a staggering 194.92.
Sharma is the next cab off the ranks as India continue their new era following the retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit
Sharma after the victory in 2024.
In the bowling department, Jasprit Bumrah is still going strong and Varun Chakravarthy’s mystery spin is a vital asset.
Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill has missed out on selection so Ishan Kishan is likely to vie with Sanju Samson for the
wicket-keeping gloves, while Samson will assume opener duties alongside Sharma.
With three of their four group games in India, the co-hosts will hope to make the most of home advantage.
Namibia:
Namibia are competing in their fourth straight ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
Their best result came in their debut in 2021 as they reached the Super 12 stage, beating the Netherlands, who they will face
again this year.
Last time out in the West Indies and the USA, Namibia triumphed in their opener, beating Oman in a super over. Ruben
Trumpelmann took four wickets in that match and is back for more.
Also back at the World Cup is Craig Williams. Already an Eagles legend as a player, Williams has now stepped into the role
of head coach as the African side prepare to co-host the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in 2027.
Before they can think of that, they must face both India and Pakistan for only the second time, and will hope to improve on
their 0-2 record against the USA.
The Netherlands:
The men in Orange can often be picked out as a tricky team to beat.
Now embarking on their seventh ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, the Netherlands have twice reached the second round, doing
so most recently in 2022.
In that tournament, Bas de Leede took 13 wickets to finish joint second in the wicket-taking column, while Max O’Dowd’s
242 runs put him just behind Virat Kohli in the run charts.
Both are back in the squad for the 2026 edition, with Scott Edwards leading the side.
Supreme experience comes from Roelof van der Merwe, one of six 40-plus-year-olds in the tournament.
The wily slow left-arm spinner has been playing international cricket since 2009 and was instrumental in the 2023 Cricket
World Cup win over South Africa.
Pakistan:
Pakistan will be looking to put their previous T20 World Cup campaign behind them.
The 2009 champions failed to get out of the group stages for the first time after defeats to rivals India and newcomers the
USA.
They will hope it is just a blip, having reached the final and the semi-finals in their two appearances before 2024.
Now led by Mike Hesson, Pakistan sit sixth in the T20 team rankings.
They will be captained by Salman Ali Agha, who is deftly handling increased attention on Babar Azam, who has returned to
the squad having been dropped for the Asia Cup, where Pakistan finished as runners-up to India.
Despite having played T20 for four years already, Naseem Shah is the youngest member of the squad and will be searching for
a return to his best form that saw him take three for 21 against India in a thriller in 2024.
USA:
Having made a name for themselves two years ago, the USA will be searching to back it up on foreign soil.
With home advantage, they beat neighbours Canada in their first World Cup match before defeating Pakistan in a super over
to finish second in their group behind India and advance to the Super 8 stage, before losing all three games.
Since then, they have won a thrilling North America T20 Cup final against Canada, also triumphing 3-0 in a series against Oman
last February.
Monank Patel will again lead the side, having made a half-century against Pakistan in 2024.
Saiteja Mukkamalla is the side’s highest-ranked batter at 25th in the world, sitting above the likes of Harry Brook and Cameron
Green.
The 21-year-old already has international hundreds in both white-ball formats and possesses an average of 42.60 in T20s.
. GV 1615