ICC T20 World Cup Dispatch: Nadeem Smashes Age Barrier; Delhi Cold Drink Controversy Erupts

Thursday (February 12) was a day of utterly one-sided results at ICC T20 World Cup 2026. Sri Lanka handed Oman a 105-run thrashing in Pallekele, before Italy mauled Nepal by 10 wickets at the Wankhede Stadium. India then decimated Namibia by 93 runs to round out the evening.

The Indian juggernaut rolled on, with the Men In Blue clinching their 10th consecutive victory across T20 World Cup editions. Suryakumar Yadav and Co brushed off the batting collapse against United States to post a 209-run total versus Namibia, before shooting out the visitors for 116 all out at New Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium.

Besides the usual cocktail of match stats, scores and results, there was plenty of news, views and drama in other quarters. Here are some of the eye-catching nuggets you might have missed from the T20 World Cup:

Oldest Man To Hit T20 World Cup Fifty

Oman's 43-year-old batting all-rounder Mohammad Nadeem made history during their game against Sri Lanka. Though he hit a sluggish fifty, staying unbeaten on 53 off 56 balls, Nadeem became the oldest batter (43 years and 161 days old) to hit a half-century in a men's T20 World Cup game.

The previous oldest was Sri Lankan cricket legend Sanath Jayasuriya, whose exact age was 39 years and 345 days when he crossed the fifty-run mark against West Indies in the 2009 edition.

Cold Drink Controversy At Arun Jaitley Stadium

Well before India and Namibia took the field for their face-off in Delhi, controversy erupted over hygiene practices at the venue, Arun Jaitley Stadium. A viral video circulating on social media showed soft drink vendors refilling bottles with alleged leftover drinks from used glasses during the Namibia vs Netherlands encounter on February 10.

The video angered social media users and led to the Delhi District Cricket Association issuing a media release stating that the bottles were "disposed of responsibly in line with established environmental and operational guidelines".

The statement further read: "In the instance shown in the video, the vendor, while segregating wet and dry waste, poured the unused beverage back into the bottle prior to disposal as part of the waste collection process. The bottles were subsequently collected, segregated and processed in accordance with the venue’s waste management and recycling policy."

The clarification notwithstanding, this was another case of a sports event hosted in Delhi this year enter the news for non-sporting reasons. The India Open BWF Super 750 was criticised by Danish shuttlers Anders Antonsen and Mia Blichfeldt for pollution as well as alleged unhygienic conditions at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.

Mosca Brothers Make Merry Against Nepal

Justin and Anthony Mosca recorded the first-ever century partnership by brothers in a T20 World Cup match, while guiding Italy to an emphatic win over Nepal. The unbroken 124-run stand surpassed Kamran Akmal and Umar Akmal's 96-run alliance against Australia in the 2014 edition.

What's more, the Mosca brothers were not the only sibling pair in the Italy playing XI. Their captain Harry Manenti and brother Ben were the other family duo in action, the double pairing adding to trivia and quizmasters' collection.

Abhishek Sharma Question Persists

That Abhishek Sharma would not be playing Thursday's Namibia match was almost a foregone conclusion, with India's marauding southpaw hospitalized due to a stomach infection-related problem.

He was released from a Delhi hospital on Wednesday but on Thursday, as the Indian team went through the motions at the Kotla, Abhishek didn't train as he is still feeling a bit weak. "Abhishek isn't fine still, might take one or two games," captain Suryakumar said at the toss, dropping enough hints that the opener could be a doubtful starter for the big-ticket Pakistan game on February 15.

Familiar Face In Namibia Dugout

Gary Kirsten, the former South Africa batter who mentored India to their 2011 ODI World Cup triumph alongside MS Dhoni, is now a part of the Namibia set-up as head coach. He was thus a constant presence in their dugout during the Delhi game against India.

His reactions were captured by broadcasters all through the game, including when Ishan Kishan launched into a big shot en route a 20-ball fifty. Many fans still believe Kirsten was the best coach India ever had, and hold on some sort of allegiance to him even though has long switched professional duties.

Elsewhere...

Away from the T20 World Cup, the Pakistan Super League auction whipped up some frenzy. Seasoned Australia batter Steve Smith fetched PKR 14 crore (roughly INR 4.54 crore) to become the most expensive player in the league's history.

Smith, who is on his way to replace the injured Mitchell Marsh in Australia's T20 World Cup squad, was bought by the new franchise Sialkot Stallions. Meanwhile, Afghanistan players reportedly withdrew their names following the backlash over the direct signing of Afghanistan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz by Peshawar Zalmi.