ICC T20 World Cup 2026 Dispatch: Hetmyer’s WI Show Puts India In Trouble; Focus On Tariq As Spin Key For PAK Vs ENG

The ICC T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 is starting to take shape, with each team having played one match in this stage of the tournament. We have already seen some big shocks in the tournament, with Australia being dumped out in the group stage and India suffering their first defeat in an ICC event in 823 days.

With more exciting matches lined up, let’s have a look at the biggest news and talking points from February 23 at the T20 World Cup:

Hetmyer’s Heroics In ZIM vs WI

Shimron Hetmyer was at his very best as West Indies thrashed Zimbabwe in a 107-run victory at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Sent to bat first, West Indies posted a total of 254/6 – the second-highest in T20 World Cup history. They were led by Hetmyer’s explosive innings of 85 off just 34 balls.

The West Indies batter reached his half-century in just 19 balls, breaking his own record for the fastest T20 World Cup fifty. As the cherry on top, he also hit five consecutive sixes across the seventh and eighth overs.

India in Trouble After Windies Win

West Indies’ massive win over Zimbabwe has also left co-hosts India in trouble. The Men in Blue lost their first Super 8 match to South Africa by 76 runs, which brought down their Net Run Rate to -3.800.

After West Indies’ win, India will have to win their remaining two matches to put themselves in the best position for qualifying. If South Africa also win their remaining games, then Suryakumar Yadav and co. will go through without any problems.

However, any other combination will bring Net Run Rate into play, where India are currently at a significant disadvantage after their painful loss against the Proteas, captured in the iconic photograph of Suryakumar dropping to the crease.

Spin Key in PAK vs ENG

Tuesday’s only fixture is England taking on Pakistan at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. After their first match against New Zealand was washed out, Pakistan will be under pressure to pick up the two points to keep their qualification hopes in their own hands.

The Green Shirts have, from the start of the tournament, bet heavily on spin. They fielded a record six spinners against India, who bowled for a combined 18 overs.

England, too, have found joy with spin in their 51-run win against Sri Lanka, where they bowled out their opponents for just 95 runs. Off-spinner Will Jacks posted figures of 3/22 in four overs, while Adil Rashid and Liam Dawson took two wickets apiece.

‘Not All About Tariq’: Dawson

With spin under the spotlight, it’s natural that the entire pre-match talk will revolve around Usman Tariq. The Pakistani spinner has grown into a household name with his knack of taking key wickets, as well as because of his unique bowling action.

However, Liam Dawson took time in the pre-match press conference to clarify that England are preparing for the Pakistan team as a whole and not just focusing on Tariq.

“It’s not all about Tariq. They’re a very good team with some dangerous players, and Tariq’s obviously a very good bowler,” Dawson said. “But we’re not going to just look at him. We’ll look at the whole team and see how we can nullify them.”

Rain Gods Smile on Pallekele

The weather has not been kind to the matches hosted in Sri Lanka. While Colombo has surely borne the biggest brunt of the rain gods, with the crucial Super 8 match between Pakistan and New Zealand washed out at the R. Premadasa Stadium, Pallekele has also suffered.

The group-stage match between Ireland and Zimbabwe on February 17 was washed out at this venue, which resulted in Australia getting knocked out and Zimbabwe moving through to the Super 8. Even the Sri Lanka vs England match on February 22 was at risk of rain, although it never materialised.

Thankfully, weather predictions for the Pakistan vs England match show less than an 8% chance of rain playing spoilsport tomorrow, which will be good news for the fans.