T20 World Cup Points Table After Zimbabwe vs Ireland Is Washed Out And What It Means For Australia

A series of dead rubbers? Unfortunately, that might be the case. We have got 8 games left in the league stage, but with just one position to fill in the Super Eight. We will have a series of dead rubbers in store now, but this is a World Cup and every individual would want to do well for the country. Zimbabwe next meet Sri Lanka on Thursday, 19th February, 2026, at the Premadasa, in another afternoon game (9.30 am GMT). Ireland are done with their allotted fixtures for this World Cup. We are done from this damp outing but are not done for the day yet. The Scotland-Nepal clash is set to begin from 1.30 pm GMT at the Wankhede and our buildup will begin soon. Do head over to that matchcentre. ADIOS! TAKE CARE!

Just a tick in the box - The skipper of Zimbabwe, SIKANDAR RAZA, is first asked about who will sing the victory song for the team. Raza smiles and says that it will be Richard Ngarava, having made some very good songs for the team and ranked as the headmaster. Coming to the serious part on how big is qualification for the Super 8 stage, Sikandar takes us back to the sub-regional qualifiers played by Zimbabwe against teams like Kenya and Tanzania and many more. Adds that during that juncture, he got the team together and said that the team is in this mess because of the way it has been playing and it is the players themselves who have to get out of this mess. SR goes onto say that as much as Zimbabwe can celebrate, only a portion of the box gets ticked, but the whole box is still pending. Adds that the focus will be back for their next game and on the path forward. On the plans for the next game against Sri Lanka, Sikandar Raza says that himself and the coach will sit down and get the data on the Lankan players and try and put their best foot forward. Adds that Zimbabwe's ultimate goal is not qualifying just for the Super 8s. It is just a tick in the box and they have got a long way to go. On the weather hampering their training sessions, Raza says that every condition they find themselves in, they try to train. Adds that everyday we cannot have the same weather and conditions so they make do with whatever they get. Further says that the team watches the games played before on those wickets and then assesses, plans and trains accordingly, aiming to do well on match day. On being asked about the fans who have travelled across the globe for this event, Sikandar says that whichever corner they are sitting at, at any ground, they are the loudest. Adds that they pick the team up and bring a lot of energy. The skipper informs us that these fans have come in paying from their own pockets. Stresses that the team and management are trying to generate more awareness and get more help and support for such fans. Concludes by saying that the more matches Zimbabwe win, the more supporters they shall generate.

Got a good crop - The captain of Ireland, LORCAN TUCKER, admits that it is disappointing to go out in this fashion, as they would have liked a game to happen. On their journey in this edition, Tucker says that the team did get some momentum from the Oman game, but got it very late. Looks back at moments from the Sri Lanka clash, which they could have possibly won and changed their fate. Regarding the squad, Lorcan says that this Irish group is very young, with many playing their first World Cup. But is amazed looking at their skills and finds it very encouraging. Hopes that these players develop and Ireland get a good crop for the next World Cup.

... THE PRESENTATION ...

A new first - For the first time in the history of Men's T20 World Cups, Zimbabwe have qualified for the Super Eight stage. But don't go by judging them on their luck in this particular match. Just like Australia, the Chevrons are solely responsible for their own passage and have thoroughly deserved this success. Thrashing Oman and then say, shocking or beating Australia, whichever word suits you, they have knocked the door ajar to the ICC, raising the cry loud and clear - Please give more matches for teams ranked outside the top 8 outside the World Cups. No Starc. No Hazlewood. No Cummins. No Smith, I mean, not selected. No Marsh and David for the first two games. Boo. Really sad for the Aussies, being undermined. Of course, no one denies that. But then. No Brendan Taylor for the World Cup. Skipper Sikandar Raza goes down with cramps while bowling against Australia. Graeme Cremer gets a split webbing on his bowling hand. Shouldn't we feel sad for Zimbabwe as well? Yet, they fought and conquered. Bottom line - We can give n number of excuses for our failures. Or we can manage with what we have got and give our best. Take a bow, Zimbabwe, defying odds, you have fought like a warrior nation and roared into the next round. Let the feeling sink in.

Let's do the rain dance! It is party time for and in Zimbabwe. They would be overwhelmed by this result, not the call off, but their qualification for the next stage. By this virtue, both, Ireland and Australia have been knocked out. A tough pill to swallow for the 2021 champions but poor cricket is the main reason for the Kangaroos being bounced out early. As far as Ireland are concerned, they will be disappointed as well. It is understandable to be defeated after playing, but to be shown the exit door without that final chance is something no one can argue about. They would have gained massive confidence after their previous win over Oman and would have been gung ho to win this match, but sadly, no one can conquer fate.

12 pm GMT - MATCH CALLED OFF! It does seem that way. The umpires have had a word with the groundstaff and now, are going to talk to the two captains. Yes, it does appear that the expected fear is going to come out true. Sikandar Raza and Lorcan Tucker come down, have a chat with the umpires and then shake hands. That will be it then, for this game. The match has been called off and ZIMBABWE QUALIFY FOR THE SUPER 8!

It is about focussing ahead now - A few hours before the scheduled match start, Natalie Germanos managed to grab a quick byte from Zimbabwean seamer Blessing Muzarabani. On the repeated question of how does it feel on beating Australia, Muzarabani says that it feels good and winning against Australia goes pretty deep  Adds that the Aussies are one of the world's best for a reason. But quickly says that he is happy that the players didn't go overboard with the celebration and now, it is about focusing ahead. On his success so far in this edition, Blessing says that the conditions have been helping him adjust to the wicket. Details that in the first match, it was the bounce, while the second was different but says that he felt that he adjusted to the conditions. On his pitch expectations from today, BM says that he was watching the game yesterday (Sri Lanka vs Australia) but will only be able to assess once he starts bowling on this pitch. Asked about the T20 format, Blessing Muzarabani says that as a bowler, you need to stick to your processes and hope that the results come your way. On Zimbabwe's plans for a shortened game, Muzarabani says that what's important is to get over the line. Stresses that just getting the win is Zimbabwe's focus at the moment.

11.30 am GMT - Grim - Conditions and mood - Nothing progressive from the previous update. The umpires and the match referee are seen walking down the stairs and having an extensive discussion with the groundstaff. One suspects that it would have been more on the lines of how long would the groundstaff need to get the ground ready, if and when the drizzle / rain stops.

Zimbabwe through to the Tasman? Huh? Well, let's give you some context. 'So qualifying for the Super 8 means automatic qualification for the next World Cup?', pips my colleague. The question has been framed keeping Zimbabwe in mind and actually, he is right. These are the scenarios of direct qualification for a T20 World Cup - 1. The host nation (s). 2. Teams that qualified for the Super 8 stage of previous edition. 3. Three additional spots based on ICC team rankings upto a specific date, roughly 2 years prior. So given that the next edition of the T20 World Cup is slated to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, the Trans-Tasman rivals qualify directly. But so do Zimbabwe, (assuming that they are in the Super 8 now), without needing to have to play any Qualifiers! Massive achievement. Yeah, we might be counting our chickens even before they have hatched but it does seem that the Lap Of The Gods is seeming to favour the Chevrons at this stage.

11 am GMT - A look at mother nature - It is a great view. The hills just behind the ground make it a compelling watch. Plenty of trees around the ground, so it is a pretty green scenario. Then you look at the ground, and ahhh.... it feels like you have come to a reptile park. Rattle snakes, snails and even the Thalagoya, more commonly known as the Bengal Monitor Lizard are known to make every Lankan ground their home. However, that's all the people at the ground can see. Up at the heavens, the skies are grey and precipitating. Down, on the ground, it is a sea of blue, with the covers swarming the entire area. In short, the drizzle continues and we have nothing else to update.

Can sides like Zimbabwe keep their spirit in the next round? It can spark a good debate, actually. One of the reasons that teams outside the top 10 of the ICC rankings are called minnows is their inability to play good cricket for a long period of time. Yes, Zimbabwe have defeated Australia and have a good record against Sri Lanka in the recent past as well - but can they carry this momentum into their next group, which consists of India, West Indies and South Africa? Your guess is as good as ours. Some experts might argue that if a 'minnow' makes it to the Super Eight, it becomes a bit easy for the other teams as each will fancy a win over the new entrant. It is an argument, it is a debate and can be settled only by a performance in the field. Before the World Cup started, former Indian allrounder R Ashwin had sent a warning to the ICC that by keeping matches such as India and USA as the opening fixture for the home team, you are taking a huge risk with fans most likely to opt out of that one-sided fixture. The proof is in the pudding. Did the crowd turn up? Of course, it did, in large numbers. Was it one-sided? Well, the result was. But for the first half of that match, we can vouch that the States proved their fighting spirit. At the end of the day, the better team will win. Zimbabwe have defeated Australia by merit, not by chance. So if they can beat a champion side, they will believe they can beat others too. But if they don't get a chance, how will they even prove themselves? That's why the T20 World Cups are so exciting. In the 2023 ODI World Cup, Australia lost their first two matches to India and South Africa. But with time on their side, they managed to regroup and recover. Come the T20 format, the Aussies have lost two matches and are on the brink of elimination. That's how it should be at the global stage. Not on your watch, then you might have to bid goodbye!

Covers coming off again? Not quite. The fans get ahead of themselves, making a loud cheer as they see a few groundstaff rushing with the covers away from the playing area. But that's not a sign of the removal of covers. All those hard-working people are doing is taking the covers off towards the boundary and then emptying the puddle of water beyond the boundary, and then bringing the covers back on. The drizzle has not stopped, so the covers won't be removed so early.

Worry and joy - The camera pans onto the Irish dressing room first and then the fans. The Irish look very sombre, as anyone would be, in a race against time. A couple of players can be seen identifying probably a few patchy areas on the outfield. Slim chance, but Ireland would like to go out after playing, not because of a washout. Looking at the fans, they don't care. It is a large contingent of red and yellow jerseys. If play happens, they can watch their team play. If it doesn't, their team goes through to the next stage! A perfectly win-win situation.

Scratch the previous update. We are seeing live visuals and the covers are coming off! Not all, but the signs are hopeful. The main cover from the pitch is off but there are some wet areas on the outfield. In fact, a lot of puddles have formed on the covers itself. Oh dear. Just as we say that, the drizzle returns and umpire Ahsan Raza calls for the covers again! Pommie Mbangwa on air confirms that the players need to get on the park by 12.40 pm GMT, for a 5-over contest, subject to confirmation from the match officials. We have also started to lose overs as well.

10.30 am GMT - The drizzle persists - From whatever information we can get, it appears as if the drizzle is persistent. It is not too heavy, as in, if play had begun, we probably would not have gone off for this. But as per the rules, we cannot start until the precipitation stops completely. So we continue waiting.

10 am GMT - The drizzle returns - Bad news. For the sport lovers, that is. The drizzle has returned and it seems with a bit more intensity as some of the umbrellas have started to go up in the stands. Now, we will definitely cross the buffer period and overs will start getting reduced soon. Given the forecast, fingers are crossed for some kind of a game, however short it might be. We are hearing that the cut-off time for a 5-over contest is 12.45 pm GMT, but we will wait for official confirmation.

How do the Super 8s function? Now that we are just a few days away from the next round, with the Super Eights kicking off from Saturday, 21st February, 2026, let's try and understand how that stage will function. As we have known by now. the top two teams from four groups in the league stage will qualify for the next round. There, two further groups will be made - X and Y. Group X will contain one team each from the four groups in the league stage, while Group Y will consist of the other qualifying team. How do we decide who goes where? It is pre-decided as per the ICC team rankings. X - Ind, Aus, WI, SA | Y - Eng, NZ, Pak, SL. If any of the above-mentioned teams don't qualify, just as could happen with Australia, then the team which qualifies will fill that spot. For instance, assuming Zimbabwe qualify, they will replace Australia in Group X. The teams in each group will play only with others in their group, meaning each side will have 3 matches in the Super 8s. Eventually, the top two teams from each group will qualify for the semis.

Time lost, overs lost? Not yet. There are floodlights available for usage and hence, like we have in evening matches, there will be a buffer of an extra hour. Which means, till 10.30 am GMT, we will not lose overs. After that, we will start losing an over every 4 minutes. Of course, it also depends on the ground conditions. The groundstaff will be given a deadline by which they need to get the ground fit and ready for play. If they are not able to, then the umpires might call the game off well in advance. Also, both the captains will be asked whether they would mind playing on this surface. Gamesmanship or not, call it what you want. With a Super 8 spot on the line, why would someone in Sikandar Raza's place want to even play and risk an injury?

Any more surprises left? Well, you can stop pinching yourself. Zimbabwe have got nearly one-and-a-half feet into the Super 8. So let's put aside Group B for now. What about Group A? Which will be the second team to qualify? On paper, clearly, Pakistan. But then, that paper also mentioned that Australia would beat Ireland, Zimbabwe and Oman in the league stage. So let's chuck that paper away. There are two games left in Group A - Pakistan meeting Namibia in Colombo and then India taking on Netherlands in Ahmedabad. Now, just if, just if, Namibia bring out their best game of the competition and beat Pakistan, it will mean that USA will qualify for the Super Eights with a probability percentage of nearly 99. The remaining 1 percent is only if Netherlands beat India so badly, that the Dutch leapfrog the States and Pakistan and finish second. Of course, if the Pakistan match is washed out in Colombo, then they go through.