The T20 World Cup Group Stage should have been a walk in the park for England and Australia. The former were up against West Indies, Italy, Scotland and Nepal and the latter faced Sri Lanka, Ireland, Zimbabwe and Oman. With the top two from each quintet progressing to the Super 8, this should have been a chance to ease into the tournament. However, T20 is more unpredictable than the longer formats and additionally the smaller nations are getting better all the time.
Things did not work out quite as many would have predicted. England may yet get the chance to show their best, in which case we will look back at their first three games and consider that they were just warming up. Australia, in contrast, will already have packed their bags and, incredibly, are eliminated with a game yet to play.
Australia Stunned
VICTORY! 🏆
Sri Lanka crush Australia by 8 wickets! A sensational 100* from Pathum Nissanka guides us home. 🇱🇰🔥 #LionsRoar #SLvAUS #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/8VvMg6mbyx
— Sri Lanka Cricket 🇱🇰 (@OfficialSLC) February 16, 2026
Australia won this competition in 2021 and won the 50-over World Cup, which they have lifted a record six times, in 2015 and 2023. For the past 25 years they have been a major force across all formats and they headed to India and Sri Lanka with high hopes. They are ranked third in the world and came into the tournament as second favourites.
They opened with a big win over Ireland, triumphing by 67 runs in Colombo. However, it all went wrong in match two, again in the Sri Lankan capital, as they were stunned by Zimbabwe. Australia won the toss and having restricted Zimbabwe to 169 they would have fancied their chances to claim a second win. The underdogs had batted cautiously and while it was a respectable target, Australia remained firm favourites.
However, Travis Head’s team made a poor start, slumping to 29/4 off 4.3 overs. A great stand between Matthew Renshaw and Glenn Maxwell gave them some hope but in the end they couldn’t find enough runs. Blessing Muzarabani bowled superbly and the Aussies had no answers as the giant quick bowler delivered figures of 4/17 from his four overs. With three balls to go Zimbabwe claimed a famous win, bowling Australia out for just 146.
Next up Australia faced the home side in Kandy in what had suddenly become a crucial game. Head made 56 from 29 balls and returning skipper Mitchell Marsh 54 from 27 but Australia squandered that sensational platform. When Head fell they were 104/1 from just 8.3 overs but they were all out from the final ball of the innings for just 181, with only two other batters reaching double figures.
181 was under par but even so, against a side ranked eighth in the world, recently beaten at home 3-0 by England, it should have been enough. However, the hosts delighted the Kandy crowd by coasting home with two overs to spare. A sensational century by Pathum Nissanka from just 52 balls made it all too easy, with none of the Aussie bowlers escaping punishment.
The loss put Australia in real danger and their elimination was confirmed when the clash between Ireland and Zimbabwe was washed out on Tuesday. That result meant Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka will progress, with Australia’s final game against Oman now rendered meaningless in terms of qualification.
England Do Just Enough
England are victorious by five wickets, reaching their target in the 19th over.#T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/W9s4mx2BDp
— Cricket Scotland (@CricketScotland) February 14, 2026
England had booked their spot in the final eight of the competition prior to seeing their great rivals the Aussies eliminated. But they know they came close to a similar fate and they will have to improve all areas of their game if they are to have a chance of regaining the trophy they won in 2022.
England were taken to the last ball by Nepal, having opted to bat and making 184/7. A good knock of 53 (32 balls) from Harry Brook steadied England, before 39 from just 18 down the order from Will Jacks gave them a respectable total. In the end it was just about enough, with Sam Curran able to defend 10 from the final six and England winning by four runs.
Next they faced the West Indies and they were outclassed in many ways, the Windies better in every department of the game. At times England looked like they might make a fight of it but in the end they were all out from 19 overs, reaching 166 to lose by 30 runs.
The final two games, against Scotland and Italy, were now must-win matches and the history books will show that Brook’s men beat the Scots by five wickets and Italy by 24 runs. However, both matches could have gone differently and neither were entirely comfortable.
England’s batters are not firing, with just one of the squad in the top 24 tournament scorers (despite some nations having yet to play all four games like England). It is a similar picture in terms of bowling. The attack have shared the wickets around but only Jamie Overton has an economy rate inside the top 45. Every other English bowler has been expensive, with Liam Dawson the next best, going at 7.64 runs per over.
What Next?
The updated fixtures list for the Men’s #T20WorldCup 2026 📋
More details ➡️ https://t.co/M61nOzx2fF pic.twitter.com/deynITDuV3
— ICC (@ICC) January 24, 2026
England face Sri Lanka in their first Super 8 match, that in duo Group 2 along with New Zealand and probably Pakistan. They face Sri Lanka in Kandy on the 22nd, with Pakistan (barring a major surprise) two days later. On the 27th it will be the Kiwis, with the top two from each group advancing to the semis.
