Shepherd grabbed four wickets in five balls in the 17th over to put an end to Scotland's hopes of chasing their target of 183.

Faheem Ashraf smashed an unbeaten 29 off 11 balls as Pakistan scrambled past the Netherlands by three wickets to avoid a massive shock in the curtain-raiser of the T20 World Cup in Colombo on Saturday.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Friday confirmed pacer Pramod Madushan as the replacement for Sri Lanka quick Eshan Malinga, who was ruled out of the Twenty20 World Cup on home soil after dislocating his shoulder against England last week.

The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup has long been a proving ground for associate nations, a place where emerging teams test their growth against the game’s elite.

The 10th edition of the T20 World Cup begins today in India and Sri Lanka. Ahead of the marquee T20 event, here we look at some interesting facts:

The 10th edition of the T20 World Cup begins today in Sri Lanka and India. Although the tournament build-up has been dominated by chaotic off-field developments -- with Bangladesh being replaced by Scotland following a row with the ICC and Pakistan boycotting their high-stakes group-stage clash against India in solidarity with Bangladesh -- here is a snapshot of the 20 teams participating in the marquee event.

In a format decided by narrow margins, execution under pressure has mattered as much as conditions.

International cricket tournaments have often been disrupted by political tensions and security fears, leading teams to refuse travel to host nations. From 1996 ICC World Cup to 2026 ICC T20 World Cup, many teams have refused to travel to host countries, citing different reasons that resulted in walkovers and replacements. There is also an instance of introducing a hybrid model when India refused to travel to Pakistan in the 2025 Champions Trophy. The instances are given below:

Politics has always been an inseparable part of cricket. It has been so since the days of the Imperial Cricket Council – the previous name of the International Cricket Council – when being a member of the Commonwealth was one of the prerequisites for becoming a Test nation.

The 10th edition of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup begins today in India and Sri Lanka against the backdrop of a chaotic build-up dominated by political turmoil, which eventually saw Bangladesh replaced by Scotland and Pakistan boycotting their high-stakes group-stage fixture against arch-rivals India in solidarity with Bangladesh.

Nurul Hasan Sohan struck a match-winning 76 off 44 balls to guide Durbar to a thrilling two-wicket victory over Dhumketu in the second match of the Odommo Bangladesh T20 Cup at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Friday.

Teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi conjured up a storm in the ICC U-19 World Cup final in Harare, smashing a thunderous 80-ball 175 to power his side to a 100-run win over England and a record-extending sixth title on Friday.

India captain Suryakumar Yadav admitted Friday "there will be nerves" when India open their T20 World Cup campaign in front of more than 30,000 fanatical home supporters in Mumbai, but vowed to give them "entertainment".

Indian 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi unleashed a ferocious batting masterclass in the Under-19 World Cup final against England, smashing a record-breaking 175 off just 80 balls at Harare Sports Club on Friday.

Despite Bangladesh’s absence from the tournament, the country will still have representation through Athar Ali Khan. The popular commentator has been named in the star-studded commentary panel for the ICC’s mega event.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) appears to be in a state of flux after several directors confronted finance committee chairman M Najmul Islam over remarks he made in a recent media interview.

Fast bowler Josh Hazlewood was on Friday ruled out of the T20 World Cup after failing to recover from hamstring and Achilles injuries in another setback for Australia.

The T20 World Cup 2026 is all set to begin tomorrow. Yet, instead of discussions about on-field affairs, the cricketing world has continued to buzz with politics, protest and uncertainty.

Sri Lanka's cricket board on Thursday asked Pakistan to reconsider its decision to boycott their first-round encounter with arch-rival India in the T20 World Cup co-hosted by the island.

Half-centuries from captain Litton Das and Saif Hassan after a three-wicket haul from leg-spinner Rishad Hossain powered Dhumketu XI to a comfortable six-wicket win over Duronto XI in the opening match of the three-team Odommo Bangladesh T20 Cup at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur today.