Cricket

The 10th edition of the ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup gets under way on February 7, with 20 teams competing for the prize.

Defending champions India will be led by Suryakumar Yadav, who replaced Rohit Sharma as captain after he retired from the T20 format.

The cohosts, alongside England and the West Indies, will be aiming to become the first country to win three T20 World Cup trophies.

Rashid Khan’s Afghanistan will look to emulate their performance from 2024, while Pakistan will hope their journey does not stop at the group stage.

Here are the 20 teams and their squads for the T20 World Cup:

Afghanistan

Rashid Khan (captain), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Ishaq (wicketkeeper), Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Shahidullah Kamal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdullah Ahmadzai

Australia

Mitchell Marsh (captain), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Pat Cummins, Tim David, ‍Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wicketkeeper), Matthew Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

Canada

Dilpreet Bajwa (captain), Navneet Dhaliwal, Shreyas Movva (wicketkeeper), Ravinderpal Singh, Yuvraj Samra, Kanwarpal Tathgur, Ajayveer Hundal, Nicholas Kirton, Saad Bin Zafar, Shivam Sharma, Harsh Thaker, Dilon Heyliger, Kaleem Sana, Ansh Patel, Manjot Buttar

England

Harry Brook (captain), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler (wicketkeeper), Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt (captain), Josh Tongue, Luke Wood

India

Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar ‍Patel, Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper)

Ireland

Paul Stirling (captain), Ross Adair, Ben Calitz, Harry Tector, Tim Tector, Lorcan Tucker (wicketkeeper), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Matthew Humphreys, Josh Little, Ben White, Barry McCarthy, Craig Young

Italy

Wayne Madsen (captain), Harry Manenti, Jon-Jon Trevor Smuts, Grant Stewart, Ben Manenti, Ali Hasan, Marcus Campopiano, Thomas Draca, Jaspreet Singh, Crishan Kalugamage, Gian-Piero Meade, Anthony Mosca, Justin Mosca, Syed Naqvi, Zain Ali

Namibia

Gerhard Erasmus (captain), Jan Balt, Zane Green (wicketkeeper), Malan Kruger, Dylan Leicher, Louren Steenkamp, Jan Frylinck, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Willem Myburgh, Johannes Jonathan Smit, Jack Brassell, Max Heingo, Bernard Scholtz, Ben Shikongo, Ruben Trumpelmann

Nepal

Rohit Paudel (captain), Aarif Sheikh, Aasif Sheikh (wicketkeeper), Dipendra Singh Airee, Basir Ahamad, Kushal Bhurtel, Sundeep Jora, Lokesh Bam, Gulshan Jha, Karan KC, Sompal Kami, Sandeep Lamichhane, Sher Malla, Lalit Rajbanshi, Nandan Yadav

Netherlands

Scott Edwards (captain, wicketkeeper), Noah Croes, Michael Levitt, Max O’Dowd, Colin Ackermann, Bas de Leede, Zach Lion-Cachet, Saqib Zulfiqar, Roelof van der Merwe, Aryan Dutt, Fred Klaassen, Kyle Klein, Logan van Beek, Tim van der Gugten, Paul van Meekeren

New Zealand

Mitchell Santner (captain), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway (wicketkeeper), Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Adam Milne, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Seifert (wicketkeeper), Ish Sodhi

Oman

Jatinder Singh (captain), Hammad Mirza (wicketkeeper), Vinayak Shukla (wicketkeeper), Jay Odedra, Mohammad Nadeem, Nadeem Khan, Karan Sonavale, Wasim Ali, Hassnain Shah, Jiten Ramanandi, Shafiq Jan, Shah Faisal, Shakeel Ahmed, Sufyan Mehmood, Ashish Odedara

Pakistan

Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Nafay (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wicketkeeper), Usman Tariq

Scotland

Richie Berrington (captain), Tom Bruce, Matthew Cross (wicketkeeper), Michael Jones, Finlay McCreath, George Munsey, Michael Leask, Brendon McCullen, Brad Currie, Chris Greaves, Safyaan Sharif, Mark Watt, Brad Wheal, Oliver Davidson, Zainullah Ihsan

South Africa

Aiden Markram (captain), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper), Tony de Zorzi, Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Jason Smith

Sri Lanka

Dasun Shanaka (captain), Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis (wicketkeeper), Kusal Janith Perera, Kamindu Mendis, Charith Asalanka, Janith Liyanage, Pavan Rathnayake, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Matheesha Pathirana, Eshan Malinga

USA

Monank Patel (captain), Jessy Singh, Andries Gous (wicketkeeper), Shehan Jayasuriya, Milind Kumar, Shayan Jahangir, Saiteja Mukkamala, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Harmeet Singh, Nosthush Kenjige, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Saurabh Netravalkar, Ali Khan, Mohammad Mohsin, Shubham Ranjane

Zimbabwe

Sikandar Raza (captain), Brian Bennett, Ryan Burl, Brendan Taylor (wicketkeeper), Graeme Cremer, Bradley Evans, Clive Madande (wicketkeeper), Tinotenda Maposa, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, Blessing Muzarabani, Dion Myers, Richard Ngarava

Pakistan’s decision to boycott their T20 World Cup game against India has been termed a political move, with cricketers and politicians in both countries and around the world urging the International Cricket Council (ICC) to resolve the dispute.

The Pakistani government on Sunday issued a statement saying its men’s cricket team will participate in the global tournament but will not take the field in the match against archrivals India on February 15.

In a swift response, the ICC was critical of Pakistan’s move of “selective participation” and asked the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to consider the “significant and long-term implications” of its decision.

A decades-old political rift between the two nuclear-armed countries is blamed for their frosty sporting ties.

Pakistan was carved out of India in 1947, resulting in a bloody division of the subcontinent by the colonial British. Over the past 78 years, the nations have fought four wars, exchanged countless skirmishes and remained at odds primarily over the disputed Kashmir region that both claim in entirety but administer parts of.

The South Asian archrivals returned from the brink of an all-out war in May, when both countries clashed at their shared border before an internationally-brokered ceasefire.

An official of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has supported the ICC’s statement asking Pakistan to reconsider the move.

“The ICC has issued a big statement, they have spoken about sportsmanship,” BCCI’s Vice President Rajeev Shukla told the ANI news agency in India.

“We completely agree with the ICC. BCCI won’t make any comments on it until we speak with the ICC.”

However, former cricketers and politicians have called upon the ICC to act as a mediator between both countries’ cricket boards.

“Cricket can open doors when politics closes them,” former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi wrote on X.

He urged the ICC to “lead and prove through decisions, not statements, that it is impartial, independent and fair to every member.”

‘Sport has been politicised’

Prominent Indian politician Shashi Tharoor was critical of the politicisation of cricket, and slammed the BCCI’s decision to expel Bangladeshi fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman from the Indian Premier League in January.

“It is pretty disgraceful that sport has been politicised in this way on both sides,” he told reporters in New Delhi.

“I don’t think that Mustafizur should have been denied his contract to play in Kolkata. It was most unfortunate. [An] intrusion of politics. I think the Bangladeshi reaction was an overreaction, but it is also a reflection of the same, and Pakistan is trying to show its solidarity with Bangladesh. ”

Tharoor, who is a member of India’s main opposition party, said the situation was “spiralling out of control”.

“Sports, especially a sport like cricket which means so much to all the people, should be a means of bringing us together at least on the playing field, rather than allowing this to go on like this,” he said.

The 69-year-old, who is also an author of several books on history and politics, called on the ICC to help mend the ties.

“This is now a wake-up call for all concerned to contact each other on an emergency basis. The ICC could be the platform for it. Just say, ‘Let’s call off this nonsense’. You can’t go on like this forever.”

Pakistan’s decision, which came six days before the start of the World Cup, has cast a shadow on the marquee fixture of the group stage.

India and Pakistan were scheduled to play in Colombo on February 15 in a game that attracts millions of viewers from across the world and is seen as a major revenue-generating fixture for the tournament’s organisers and sponsors.

Outspoken former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif said Pakistan could face sanctions from the ICC, but such a move would be hypocritical as teams have boycotted games at previous World Cups.

“Where was ICC when Australia and West Indies forfeited their matches in 1996; England refusing to travel to Harare and New Zealand to Nairobi in 2003,” he said on X.

Latif, who played 37 Tests and 166 one-day internationals (ODIs), feared that Pakistan may be sanctioned by the ICC.

“They [Pakistan] don’t seem to care about it,” he said.

‘Would Pakistan refuse to play the final?’

Should Pakistan keep their word and boycott the group game, they will forfeit two points, which could have an impact on their standings in Group A.

Pakistan and India could meet again in the tournament, in the final on March 8, but with the multiple stages of progress between the group game and the final, it is unclear how that match would pan out.

Former England captain Kevin Pietersen questioned whether Pakistan would boycott the tournament decider as well.

“Would Pakistan refuse to play the World Cup final?” he asked.

Cricketers from across the border condemned Pakistan’s boycott of the game.

“This isn’t about guts at all, this is about foolishness,” Madan Lal, a former Test cricketer and coach, told Indian media.

“Because Pakistan wants to show India down, that’s why they’re taking all these decisions. That’s the reason their growth isn’t happening, either. If you keep looking at others, what will you do for your own growth?”

Indian cricket writer and commentator Harsha Bhogle said the boycott could deal a financial blow to Pakistan cricket.

“If there is an inevitable reduction in the ICC’s revenue caused by Pakistan’s forfeit and future uncertainty, the least affected countries, given other strong sources of revenue, will be India, Australia and England,” he said in a social media post.

“The most affected will be those completely reliant on revenues from the ICC; not just the smaller and associate nations but also the West Indies, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and…… Pakistan!”

Pakistan will open their T20 World Cup campaign on the opening day, February 7, against the Netherlands in Colombo.

The 2009 champions will play all their games, including any Super 8 fixtures and knockouts, in Sri Lanka.

This follows an ICC-brokered agreement between the PCB and the BCCI in December 2024 that allows both teams to play their games at a neutral venue when the neighbour hosts an ICC event.

Pakistan’s remaining Group A fixtures are against the United States on February 10 and against Namibia on February 18.

BREAKINGBREAKING,

This is a breaking news story, more details to follow.

Pakistan’s cricket team has been cleared to participate in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 but will not play its game against India, the government of Pakistan said in a statement.

“The Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan grants approval to the Pakistan Cricket Team to participate in the ICC World T20 2026, however, the Pakistan Cricket Team shall not take the field in the match scheduled on 15th February 2026 against India,” the statement said on Sunday.

The T20 World Cup, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, features 20 nations and begins on Saturday.

Pakistan are drawn in Group A along with India, Namibia, Netherlands and US, and are playing all their matches in Sri Lanka. Pakistan’s first match on Saturday is against Netherlands at the Sinhalese Sports Club Cricket Ground in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo.

If Pakistan boycotts their match against India, they will forfeit two points.

More to follow…

Follow our live build-up, with toss and team news, ahead of the crucial group stage match in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

Pakistan thump Australia by 90 runs in Lahore in second T20 of tour to seal three-match T20 series 2-0.

Skipper Salman Ali Agha hit his highest score in the shortest format before Pakistan’s spinners routed Australia by 90 runs in the second Twenty20 International in Lahore on Saturday.

Agha hit a 40-ball 76 and Usman Khan smashed a 36-ball 53 as Pakistan made 198-5, their highest-ever T20I total against Australia.

This was enough for Pakistan’s spin quintet, who shared all 10 wickets between them with Abrar Ahmed returning the best figures of 3-14 and Shadab Khan finishing with 3-26.

Australia were routed for 108 in 15.4 overs, giving Pakistan their biggest T20I victory over Australia, eclipsing the 66-run win in Abu Dhabi in 2018.

“It has to be a perfect game,” said Agha. “We batted well and then were outstanding with the ball. Fielding was outstanding.”

The victory gives Pakistan an unbeatable 2-0 lead after they won the first match by 22 runs, also in Lahore, on Friday.

“We want to play in the same way, forget the 2-0 scoreline and come again with the same intensity and go to the World Cup with the same energy,” said Agha of the event starting in India and Sri Lanka from February 7.

This is Pakistan’s first T20I series win over Australia since 2018. The final match is on Sunday, also in Lahore.

Despite skipper Mitchell Marsh coming back after resting on Friday, the visiting batters had little answer to Pakistan’s spin assault.

Ahmed dismissed Marsh for 18, Josh Inglis for five and Matthew Short for 27.

Cameron Green top-scored with a 20-ball 35 before spinner Usman Tariq dismissed him on his way to figures of 2-16.

Marsh admitted Pakistan were better.

“Pakistan outplayed us,” said Marsh. “Hopefully, we can improve and come back tomorrow. They put us under great pressure in batting; it was probably a 160-170 wicket so they scored a big total.”

Earlier, Agha and Usman led Pakistan to a fighting total after they won the toss and batted.

Agha built the innings with Saim Ayub (11-ball 23) during a second-wicket stand of 55 as Pakistan scored 72 runs in the power play.

Agha’s previous highest in all T20 cricket was 68 not out.

After Babar Azam failed with a five-ball two, Usman helped Agha add another quickfire 49 for the fourth wicket before Sean Abbott broke the stand.

Agha smashed four sixes and eight fours in his sixth Twenty20 half-century.

Pakistan added a good 61 runs in the last five overs with Usman knocking two sixes and four fours in his second T20I half-century, while Shadab’s knock had two sixes and a four.

The Usman-Shadab fifth-wicket stand yielded 63 runs off just 39 balls.

Shadab finished with an unbeaten 20-ball 28.

Pacer Xavier Bartlett and spinner Matthew Kuhnemann were expensive, conceding 92 runs between them in their eight overs.

Left-arm pacer Ben Dwarshuis will replace Cummins after he failed to recover in time for the tournament.

Australian fast ‌bowler Pat Cummins has been ruled out of the ICC Twenty20 World ‍Cup after failing to recover from a nagging back injury, with Ben Dwarshuis named as his replacement in the tournament starting next month.

“With ⁠Pat needing more time to recover from his back injury, Ben is a ready replacement who offers a left-arm pace option as well as dynamic fielding and late-order hitting,” selector Tony Dodemaide said on Saturday.

“We believe his ability to swing the ball at good pace, along with clever variations, will be well-suited to the conditions we expect and ​overall structure of the squad.”

Cummins played just one of the five Ashes Tests against England, but Australia kept ⁠him in the provisional World Cup squad, hoping for his availability in the ​Super Eight stage of the tournament to be played in ‍India and Sri Lanka.

Matt Renshaw also replaced fellow batter Matthew Short but veteran Steve Smith could not break into the World Cup squad despite his strong form in the Big ‍Bash League.

The Mitchell Marsh-led side are ‌currently playing a three-match T20 series in Pakistan as part of their preparation for the World Cup.

“With the top order settled and spin-heavy conditions expected in the pool stages in Sri ‌Lanka, we also feel Matt provides extra middle-order support, with Tim David completing his return-to-play programme in the ‌early phase of the tournament,” Dodemaide said of ⁠Renshaw’s selection.

“As a left-hander, he also offers a point of difference to the middle-order batting.”

Renshaw scored 15 in his T20 debut for Australia in Thursday’s defeat in Lahore.

The former champions begin their ‌World Cup campaign against Ireland in a February 11 match in Colombo.

Australia’s squad for the T20 World Cup: Mitchell Marsh (captain), Travis Head, Xavier Bartlett, Josh Hazlewood, Cooper Connolly, Josh ‍Inglis, Tim David, Matthew Kuhnemann, Ben Dwarshuis, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, Matthew Renshaw, Nathan Ellis, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

What ranks as a safety concern in cricket? As the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup gets under way, Samantha Johnson looks at how the IPL exclusion of one Bangladeshi player led to an entire country exiting the tournament, and whether there are signs of a double standard.

Cricket fans will turn their attention to India and Sri Lanka as the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) T20 World Cup 2026 gets under way from February 7.

The tournament’s 10th edition, which will be spread over 54 matches, will conclude on March 8.

Here’s what you need to know about the T20 World Cup 2026’s format and schedule:

Which teams are in the T20 World Cup, and what are their groups?

The tournament was expanded to include 20 teams in 2024, and the number of competitors will remain the same this year.

However, there was a late change in the team list as the ICC expelled Bangladesh from the tournament following a weeks-long impasse on their participation. Scotland replaced Bangladesh, who were kicked out due to their refusal to travel to India for the World Cup over security concerns.

The 20 teams have been divided into four groups of five teams each. These are:

Group A:

• India
• Namibia
• Netherlands
• Pakistan
• USA

Group B:

• Australia
• Ireland
• Oman
• Sri Lanka
• Zimbabwe

Group C: 

• England
• Italy
• Nepal
• West Indies
• Scotland

Group D: 

• Afghanistan
• Canada
• New Zealand
• South Africa
• United Arab Emirates (UAE)

What’s the format of the T20 World Cup 2026?

The tournament will be divided into two group-based rounds and a knockout round, comprising the semifinals and the final.

The top two teams from each of the four groups will qualify for the Super 8 stage, where they will be divided into two groups of four teams each.

The two best-performing Super 8 teams will enter the semifinals.

Here’s a breakdown of the tournament’s schedule:

• Group stage: February 7 – 20
• Super 8: February 21 – March 1
• Semifinals: March 4 and 5
• Final: March 8

Venues

Five stadiums in India and three in Sri Lanka will host the tournament.

The venues for all fixtures, barring one semifinal and the final, have been confirmed by the ICC.

If India qualify for the semifinals, they will play in the second one at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Should Pakistan qualify for the last-four stage, they will play their match at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on March 4.

Here’s a list of the venues:

India:

• Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi
• Eden Gardens, Kolkata
• MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
• Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
• Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Sri Lanka: 

• R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
• Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
• Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC), Colombo

Full match schedule

Group stage

Saturday, February 7

Netherlands vs Pakistan at 11am (05:30 GMT) – SSC, Colombo

Scotland vs West Indies at 3pm (09:30 GMT) – Eden Gardens, Kolkata

India vs USA at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Sunday, February 8

Afghanistan vs New Zealand at 11am (05:30 GMT) – MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

England vs Nepal at 3pm (09:30 GMT) – Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Sri Lanka vs Ireland at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo

Monday, February 9

Scotland vs Italy at 11am (05:30 GMT) – Eden Gardens, Kolkata

Oman vs Zimbabwe at 3pm (09:30 GMT) – SSC, Colombo

Canada vs South Africa at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad

Tuesday, February 10

Namibia vs Netherlands at 11am (05:30 GMT) – Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi

New Zealand vs UAE at 3pm (09:30 GMT) – MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

Pakistan vs USA at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – SSC, Colombo

Wednesday, February 11

Afghanistan vs South Africa at 11am (05:30 GMT) – Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad

Australia vs Ireland at 3pm (09:30 GMT) – R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo

England vs West Indies at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Thursday, February 12

Sri Lanka vs Oman at 11am (05:30 GMT) – Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy

Italy vs Nepal at 3pm (09:30 GMT) – Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

India vs Namibia at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi

Friday, February 13

Australia vs Zimbabwe at 11am (05:30 GMT) – R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo

Canada vs UAE at 3pm (09:30 GMT) – Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi

Netherlands vs USA at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

Saturday, February 14

Ireland vs Oman at 11am (05:30 GMT) – SSC, Colombo

Scotland vs England at 3pm (09:30 GMT) – Eden Gardens, Kolkata

New Zealand vs South Africa at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad

Sunday, February 15

Nepal vs West Indies at 11am (05:30 GMT) – Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Namibia vs USA at 3pm (09:30 GMT) – MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

India vs Pakistan at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo

Monday, February 16

Afghanistan vs UAE at 11am (05:30 GMT) – Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi

England vs Italy at 3pm (09:30 GMT) – Eden Gardens, Kolkata

Australia vs Sri Lanka at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy

Tuesday, February 17

Canada vs New Zealand at 11am (05:30 GMT) – MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

Ireland vs Zimbabwe at 3pm (09:30 GMT) – Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy

Scotland vs Nepal at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Wednesday, February 18

South Africa vs UAE at 11am (05:30 GMT) – Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi

Namibia vs Pakistan at 3pm (09:30 GMT) – SSC, Colombo

India vs Netherlands at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad

Thursday, February 19

Italy vs West Indies at 11am (05:30 GMT) – Eden Gardens, Kolkata

Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe at 3pm (09:30 GMT) – R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo

Afghanistan vs Canada at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

Friday, February 20

Australia vs Oman at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy

Super 8

Saturday, February 21

TBD vs TBD at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo

Sunday, February 22

TBD vs TBD at 3pm (09:30 GMT) – Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy

TBD vs TBD at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad

Monday, February 23

TBD vs TBD at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Tuesday, February 24

TBD vs TBD at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy

Wednesday, February 25

TBD vs TBD at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo

Thursday, February 26

TBD vs TBD at 3pm (09:30 GMT) – Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad

TBD vs TBD at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

Friday, February 27

TBD vs TBD at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo

Saturday, February 28

TBD vs TBD at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy

Sunday, March 1

TBD vs TBD at 3pm (09:30 GMT) – Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi

TBD vs TBD at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – Eden Gardens, Kolkata

Knockouts

Wednesday, March 4

First semifinal at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – Eden Gardens, Kolkata or R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo

Thursday, March 5

Second semifinal at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Sunday, March 8

Final at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad or R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo

Aaron Jones was one of the key US performers at the 2024 T20 World Cup but will now miss the 2026 edition.

United States batter Aaron Jones ‍has ‍been provisionally suspended after being charged with five breaches of the International Cricket Council (ICC) ⁠anticorruption code, the governing body says.

The 31-year-old has ‍14 days to respond to the charges, which relate mostly to his ‍participation in ⁠the 2023-2024 Bim10 tournament in Barbados, while two of the charges relate to international cricket, the ICC said.

USA Cricket did not immediately ​respond to a request ‌for comment outside normal business hours.

The ICC accused Jones of fixing, trying to fix or influencing Bim10 matches; refusing or failing to cooperate with an investigation; obstructing the inquiry; and failing to disclose attempts to violate the Cricket West Indies anticorruption code.

“These charges are part of a wider investigation which is likely to result in further charges being issued against other participants in due course,” the ICC said in a statement on Wednesday.

Jones was part of an 18-member US squad training ‌in Sri Lanka in preparation for ‌the T20 World Cup, ⁠scheduled from February 7 to March 8 in India and Sri Lanka.

The US ‌has yet to announce its squad for the tournament, and Jones is now ‍ineligible for selection.

Jones was a star of the 2024 edition, which was cohosted by the US, which were also debuting at a major cricket tournament.

He was an integral part of the team that beat Pakistan in what is regarded as the greatest cricketing upset of all time, scoring 11 runs in the super-over victory.

Jones also hit an unbeaten 94 in the seven-wicket win against Canada, which included hitting the winning runs to produce one of the iconic images of the tournament.

Born in New York, Jones rose to prominence with Barbados – and hit a half-century in his first-class debut in 2017 – but switched to the nation of his birth, making his international debut in 2018.

Bangladesh cricket lost their place at T20 World Cup after refusal to play in India, but shooting team heads to New Delhi.

Bangladesh ‌has approved its shooting team’s tour to New Delhi for ‍next month’s Asian ‍Shooting Championships, days after the cricket team’s refusal to play in India due to safety concerns cost them a place at the Twenty20 World Cup.

Bangladesh have been replaced by Scotland in ⁠the T20 World Cup, which runs from February 7 to March 8, ​after they insisted they would not tour India, highlighting security ‍concerns following soured political relations between the neighbours.

The International Cricket Council (ICC), citing independent security assessment reports, dismissed Bangladesh’s demands to play their World Cup matches in Sri Lanka, the tournament ‍cohosts, ⁠instead, arguing the late change in schedule was “not feasible”.

However, media reports in Bangladesh said a three-member contingent comprising shooter Robiul Islam, his coach Sharmin Akhter and jury member Saima Feroze had received approval from the Ministry of Youth and Sports to compete in New Delhi.

The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) secretary-general, Pawan Singh, confirmed the shooting team’s participation in India.

“Bangladesh’s participation was confirmed a month ‌ago. Our applications for clearances for all nations have been in process for almost three months,” Singh told the Reuters news agency.

“We have to follow ISSF norms as a ‌sport and comply with the IOC (International Olympic Committee) charter, and as NRAI, we have always received support ‌from the government,” he said, referring to the International Shooting Sport Federation.

Singh added that the Bangladesh contingent ⁠did not request any extra security measures.

“The Bangladesh team has come to our tournaments many times, so they know our strict protocols well. Maybe that’s why they are confident and ‌have not made any special requests.”

The Asian Shooting Confederation, which is organising the event, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The continental ‍rifle and pistol shooting championship will be held in New Delhi from February 2 to 14.