All eight teams have been finalised for the Super Eights of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026. Four teams - India, South Africa, Zimbabwe and West Indies are unbeaten so far in the tournament and interestingly, are placed in the same group in the Super Eights. Group B, in the meantime, feature Pakistan, England, Sri Lanka and New Zealand. Two teams from each group will progress to the semi-final, which will take place on March 4 and 5, respectively.
Ahead of that, the form of certain cricketers are currently under scrutiny. They arrived to the tournament with plenty of expectations but haven’t been able to live up to that. Here’s a list of the top three players:
3. Jos Buttler
Former England captain Jos Buttler had a miserable time with the bat in the ongoing tournament. Given his experience in the Indian sub-continent, the keeper-batter was expected to be a force to reckon with, but he has scored only 53 runs in four matches, at a strike rate of 135.89. Losing early wickets is never a positive sign, particularly in T20 cricket, where there’s very little time for a turnaround. Being one of the most experienced players in the squad, Buttler needs to address that and find his rhythm soon.
2. Babar Azam
Former Pakistan captain Babar Azam could even be dropped from the playing XI, with Fakhar Zaman waiting in the wings. In three innings, the 31-year-old has scored just 66 runs at a strike rate of 115.78, which is not acceptable in modern cricket. In Pakistan’s final league game against Namibia, he was demoted in the batting order as Babar didn’t feature at all, despite the team losing three wickets. Now, it won’t be surprising if the team management drops him, especially at a time when captain Salman Agha is struggling as well.
1. Abhishek Sharma
Abhishek Sharma is yet to open his tally in the T20 World Cup. He scored a duck each against the USA, Pakistan and the Netherlands and following which, questions were raised about his technique. He has struggled against spinners in the powerplay and that is one thing that the other teams will try as well against him in the Super Eights. However, given his pedigree, Abhishek is expected to bounce back very soon.
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