England Becomes the First Semifinalists of T20 World Cup 2026

Former 2-time T20 World Cup champions England have earned a spot in the semifinals of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. They have become the first team in this edition to get into the last 4 of the tournament and are awaiting the remaining three teams, who will join them for the semis.

England got the better of Pakistan in a nervy showdown

The 2010 and 2022 champions, England, orchestrated a brave win over Pakistan by 2 wickets in their second game of the Super 8s stage at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy. Batting first, Pakistan riding on Sahibzada Farhan’s 63 off 45 deliveries. accumulated 164 for the loss of 9 wickets in their quota of 20 overs.

The score wasn’t a daunting one, as the experts suggested that the wicket easily had 180 in it. Pakistan’s approach in the middle order has always been under the scanner in this World Cup, and once again their fragilities were exposed. They never put their foot on the pedal to instill gas in the scoring and ultimately fell 20-30 runs short after choosing to bat.

England’s chase didn’t start on a positive note as Philip Salt was dismissed on the very first ball by Shaheen Shah Afridi. Soon they were reduced to 35 for the loss of 3 wickets in 4.5 overs. England were 3 down inside the Powerplay and lost their fourth wicket for 58 runs in 7.1 overs. Philip Salt, Jos Buttler, Jacob Bethell, and Tom Banton were on the receiving end, with England in some sort of trouble.

To bail them out, skipper Harry Brook took the responsibility and led from the front with the bat. The man from Yorkshire promoted himself to no. 3 and scored his first-ever T20I ton. Brook’s 51-ball 100 proved decisive in the chase as he ensured his team got over the finishing line despite hiccups here and there.

T20 World Cup 2026: Group 2 Standings (after ENG vs PAK)

With England already through to the semifinals from Group 2 of Super 8s, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan still remain in contention to take that second semifinalist spot from this group. Check out the current standings in Group 2.

• England defeated Pakistan by 2 wickets in Pallekele, becoming the first team to qualify for the semi-finals.
• Pakistan, with just 1 point from 2 games, now faces a must-win scenario in their last Super 8 fixture.
• Sri Lanka and New Zealand still have matches in hand, so the battle for the second semi-final spot from Group 2 remains open.

T20 World Cup 2026 Semifinal qualification scenarios for Group 2

Here’s a clear breakdown of the semi-final qualification scenarios for Group 2 after England’s win over Pakistan in Pallekele on 24th February:

England

• Status: Already qualified for the semi-finals with 4 points from 2 matches.
• Their remaining game will only decide whether they top the group.

Pakistan

• Current position: 1 point from 2 matches (washout vs NZ, loss vs ENG).
• Scenario:
  • Must beat Sri Lanka in their final Super 8 match.
  • Even then, qualification depends on New Zealand losing at least one more game and Pakistan’s Net Run Rate (NRR) being superior.
  • In short, Pakistan’s chances are slim but mathematically alive.

Sri Lanka

• Current position: 0 points from 1 match (loss vs England).
• Scenario:
  • They need to win their remaining two games against Pakistan and New Zealand.
  • If they lose at least one game, qualification will hinge on NRR comparisons with Pakistan and New Zealand.

New Zealand

• Current position: 1 point from 1 match (Abandoned game against New Zealand).
• Scenario:
  • Win at least one of their remaining two matches (vs Sri Lanka and England).
  • Winning both games will confirm their pole position in Group 2.
  • If they reach 3 points, NRR will decide the second semi-finalist between them and Sri Lanka.

Group 1 still wide open

We have got one semifinalist from this group, but Group 1 is still wide open with no team through to the semifinals yet. India and Zimbabwe are on the cusp of an exit, courtesy of commanding wins for South Africa and West Indies in their opening Super 8 fixtures. South Africa pummeled India by 76 runs, whereas West Indies thrashed Zimbabwe by 107 runs to take the pole position in Group 2. Both West Indies and South Africa take the top two positions in the group and are almost certain to take the semifinal spot if they win their respective next games as well.