The Weekly Wicket: India’s T20 WC Semifinal Push to Nepal’s Historic Win - This Week in Cricket

This week in cricket saw major T20 World Cup 2026 upsets as Zimbabwe stunned heavyweights and Australia exited early. India women sealed a historic series win, Canada’s Yuvraj Samra set a century record, and controversy hit The Hundred.

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Cricket Highlights of the Week

The third week of February has been quite eventful in the cricketing world, with the T20 World Cup 2026 entering its decisive stage, India beginning their semifinal push, Zimbabwe stunning heavyweights, Nepal scripting a victory, India women’s historic T20I series win, The Hundred Controversy, among others, adding an off-field twist to an action-packed week that kept fans on the edge of their seats.

As the penultimate week of February concludes, let’s take a look at the top cricket highlights of the week that grabbed the headlines.

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India Begin Semifinal Push

After being unbeaten in the group stage of the T20 World Cup 2026, Team India will head into the Super 8 stage to secure their spot in the semifinal. As the defending champions of the tournament, their journey now faces tougher competition, but the Men in Blue remain a strong contender for the title defence. India have been clubbed in Group 1 alongside South Africa, Zimbabwe, and the West Indies.

Team India will begin their Super 8 clash against South Africa, the repeat of the 2024 T20 World Cup final, on Sunday, February 22, followed by crucial encounters against Zimbabwe and the West Indies on February 26 and March 1, respectively, as they aim to finish at the top and qualify for the semifinal.

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Australia's Early Exit

Australia were knocked out of the T20 World Cup 2026 after failing to qualify for the Super 8 following two successive losses to Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka. Zimbabwe’s rain-abandoned match against Ireland confirmed the 2021 T20 World Cup champions’ shock group-stage exit.

However, the Mitchell Marsh-led side managed to finish their disappointing campaign on a good note with a nine-wicket win over Oman in Pallekale. Chasing a modest 105-run target, Mitchell Marsh’s unbeaten 64-run captain knock and Travis Head’s 32 guided the team to victory with ease in 9.4 overs or 62 balls to spare. Australia finished third in Group B with two wins and as many losses, accumulating 4 points.

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Zimbabwe Stun Sri Lanka

After pulling off an upset by defeating Australia, Zimbabwe registered a stunning victory by defeating Sri Lanka to finish as the toppers in Group B. The Chevrons were already sitting at the second spot after two wins and one no result, and needed just one more victory to seal the top spot. And, the Sikandar Raza-led side did it by stunning Sri Lanka, the co-host of the tournament, in Colombo.

With a 179-run target, Zimbabwe chased it down with three balls to spare in the final over. Brian Bennett’s unbeaten 63-run knock and his 69-run stand for the third wicket with skipper Sikandar Raza, who scored 45 off 25 balls, proved decisive in sealing a memorable win. Tadiwanashe Marumani (34) and Ryan Burl (23) made valuable contributions to Zimbabwe’s run chase.

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Yuvraj Samra’s Historic T20 World Cup Century

Canada batter Yuvraj Samra scripted a historic feat during the T20 World Cup 2026 match against New Zealand. The 19-year-old became the youngest batter to score a century in the history of the T20 World Cup, when he scored 110 off 65 balls, including 10 fours and 5 sixes, at an impressive strike rate of 169.23.

Yuvraj overtook former Pakistan batter Ahmed Shehzad’s previous record of 22 years and 127 days, etching his name into the tournament’s record books with his remarkable innings. This means Yuvraj Samra became the first batter to score a T20 World Cup century before turning 20, a milestone that underlines his immense potential on the global stage.

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Nepal’s Historic T20 World Cup Victory

Nepal did not qualify for the Super 8, but the team managed to secure a victory before concluding their T20 World Cup campaign. Nepal, which made its third appearance in the marquee event, defeated Scotland at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai to end its rather disappointing campaign on a winning note, delighting the fans who had been supportive throughout the tournament.

The victory was historic for Nepal as it was the first T20 World Cup win since 2014, ending their 12-year drought of victories in the tournament and marking a significant step forward for the rising cricketing nation.

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India Women’s First T20I Series in Australia in 10 Years

India's women’s team ended their 10-year drought of T20I series victories in Australia with a historic triumph on Australian soil. The Women in Blue, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, won the opening match of the T20I series via DLS method before losing the second match against Australia, which set up a decider in the third and final match at the Adelaide Oval.

In the series decider, Team India clinched a 17-run victory against Australia to seal a historic 2-1 series win and end their decade-long wait for a T20I series triumph on Australian soil. After posting a total of 176/6, thanks to half-centuries by Smirit Mandhana (82) and Jemimah Rodrigues (59), India restricted Australia to 159/9, with Shreyanka Patil (3/22) and N Charani (3/32) taking three wickets each.

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The Hundred Controversy

Ahead of the The Hundred 2026 Auction, reports emerged that the IPL-linked The Hundred franchises will unlikely to acquire the services of Pakistan players for the upcoming season of the tournament, which will take place in July. Four of the eight teams - Manchester Super Giants, MI London, Southern Brave, and Sunrisers Leeds - are fully or partially owned by the Indian groups that also own IPL sides, and according to a BBC report, these franchises are unlikely to bid for Pakistan cricketers for the 12-13 March auction.

However, this invited criticism from former England captain Michael Vaughan, who urged the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to intervene immediately to prevent discrimination, preserving cricket’s status as an inclusive sport in England. According to the reports, an ECB spokesperson dismissed the speculation of any formal restrictions, stating that The Hundred remains open to players from all nations and the selection decisions will ultimately be rested on the franchises.

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First T20 World Cup Super 8 Match Washed Out

The first Super 8 match of the T20 World Cup 2026 was between New Zealand and Pakistan, but the game was washed out due to torrential rain in Pallekale. Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha won the toss and opted to bat first, but the match could not start as the rain persisted and a wet outfield prevented even a single ball from being bowled.

After a continued delay for the start of the match, the rain had the final say as the officials decided to call off the match, with New Zealand and Pakistan sharing a point to begin their Super 8 campaign on an anticlimactic note.