A nation better known for its football, Italy are the lowest-ranked side in the 20-team tournament.

With Mitchell Starc having quit the format, Australia will be without all three of their top quicks for the first World Cup in over a decade.

Ponting harbours concerns that Babar no longer has the power he once possessed to maximise the middle overs of a batting innings, pondering whether he’s playing the right role for the team.

During a meeting with ICC officials at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi outlined the conditions.

England took their time. Sam Curran, entrusted with the crucial final over with 10 runs to defend, first consulted skipper Harry Brook before conferring with the experienced wicketkeeper-batter Jos Buttler.

Sri Lanka's 11th-hour call to draft in Kamindu Mendis proved a masterstroke as the all-rounder produced a match turning cameo to set up a 20-run win over Ireland in their T20 World Cup opener at Colombo’s R. Premadasa Stadium on Sunday.

Sam Curran bowled a superb final over to save England’s blushes as Nepal fell agonisingly short of a famous upset in their first ICC T20 World Cup Group C fixture at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.

Opener Tim Seifert struck a blistering 65 off 42 balls to lead New Zealand's highest-ever run in a T20 World Cup as they beat Afghanistan by five wickets on Sunday.

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Aminul Islam Bulbul has reportedly flown to Pakistan early on Sunday morning to attend an emergency virtual meeting of the International Cricket Council (ICC) over Pakistan's boycott of the India-Pakistan World Cup match on February 15.

India's wicket-taking hero Mohammed Siraj said "it felt like a dream" after a whirlwind 24 hours that saw him called into the T20 World Cup squad and force him to change holiday plans to watch Real Madrid

"How did we get to the World Cup? In Italy we say 'miracolo Italiano', an 'Italian miracle'," said Riccardo Maggio, development officer with the Italian Cricket Federation.

Force Majeure is usually reserved for extreme events such as wars, natural disasters or political upheaval. Under ICC rules, however, a government directive also qualifies — giving the PCB legal cover, at least on paper.

On a bright evening at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata yesterday, Scotland took the field against the West Indies to begin their campaign in the ICC T20 World Cup -- a stage that was originally meant for Bangladesh, not the Scots.

James Neesham, during his recent stint with the Rajshahi Warriors in the Bangladesh Premier League, spoke to The Daily Star’s Samsul Arefin Khan about New Zealand’s chances in the tournament, the team’s past World Cup heartbreaks, and the belief that still drives the side forward.

Aside from replicating -- or even bettering -- their run from the previous edition, Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan will also be eyeing a unique individual milestone as he leads his side in their T20 World Cup 2026 opener against New Zealand in Chennai today.

India captain Suryakumar Yadav led by example as the tournament co-hosts began their Twenty20 World Cup title defence with a 29-run victory against the United States in a group A contest on Saturday.

The Pakistan Cricket Board reached out to the ICC after a formal communication from the cricket's world body, a source close to the developments told AFP.

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.