A splendid century from England captain Harry Brook on Tuesday evening in Pallekele helped England become the first team to seal their spot in the semi-finals of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2026.
This is the fifth consecutive time that England have qualified for the semi-finals of the men’s ICC T20 World Cup, a run that began in the 2016 edition, incidentally also played in India.
England lost the final in 2016 to the West Indies and the semi-finals in 2021 and 2024 to New Zealand and India, respectively. But Jos Buttler guided his team to glory in the 2022 edition, beating Pakistan in the final at the MCG.
Three other spots for the semi-final remain open ahead of the Wednesday fixture, which will be Sri Lanka vs New Zealand in Colombo, a clash where a defeat for the hosts would knock them out, while the Kiwis would be one step into the next round.
Even after succumbing to a defeat to England, Salman Agha’s Pakistan remain alive in the competition with one Super 8 game in hand, which will be against Sri Lanka on February 28. This is because the Pakistan vs New Zealand match last Saturday ended in a washout.
Group 2 Qualification Scenario Explained: How Can Pakistan Qualify For Semi-Finals Of T20 World Cup 2026?
Pakistan, who have one point after two matches, can qualify for the semi-finals if New Zealand lose both their matches against England and Sri Lanka, and Pakistan beat Sri Lanka. This would mean Pakistan will have three points, Sri Lanka will have two points, and New Zealand will have only one point.
If New Zealand win any one of their remaining two matches and Pakistan defeat Sri Lanka, then it would come down to the net run rate since both Pakistan and New Zealand will have three points each.
Therefore, despite losing to England, Pakistan have two routes through which they can reach the semi-finals, but both those routes require favors from other teams.
However, if New Zealand beat Sri Lanka and the New Zealand vs England match gets washed out, then New Zealand will finish with four points, well out of reach of Pakistan. What Pakistan would hope for is for New Zealand to lose at least one game, while they have to thump the Lankans.
Meanwhile, New Zealand will qualify for the semi-finals if they win both their remaining matches against Sri Lanka and England. If they win one and lose one, then it will come down to the result of the Pakistan vs Sri Lanka match, with all three teams alive.
Interestingly, New Zealand can’t afford to lose against Sri Lanka. This is because losing to Sri Lanka would mean that if Sri Lanka beat Pakistan, the co-hosts qualify, and if Pakistan beat Sri Lanka, then NRR will decide between New Zealand and Pakistan.
Further, if New Zealand win over Sri Lanka but lose to England, then SL will be knocked out and Pakistan will have to win against SL to tie on the points table with NZ.
How Can Sri Lanka Still Qualify For Semi-Finals Of T20 World Cup 2026?
For Sri Lanka, every game is a must-win: win both matches and proceed to the semis; a loss in any one of the two games – to either New Zealand or Pakistan – would mean curtains for the co-hosts in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.
FAQs:
How can India qualify for the semi-finals of T20 World Cup 2026?
Given the massive net run rate difference between India and West Indies, the only plausible route for India to reach the semi-finals is if South Africa beat West Indies and then India beat both Zimbabwe and West Indies.
Even if Zimbabwe can cause an upset by defeating South Africa, India’s poor net run rate would still mean they need West Indies to lose to South Africa.
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