Afghanistan and Zimbabwe signed off from the T20 World Cup 2026 group stage with big wins, while Sri Lanka also booked their place in the Super 8s.
In Chennai, Afghanistan beat Canada by 82 runs to finish with two wins. Canada ended their campaign without a single victory.
Ibrahim Zadran led the charge with a stunning unbeaten 95 off 56 balls. He hit seven fours and five sixes and stayed till the end to power Afghanistan to 200 for 4.
Sediqullah Atal supported him with 44 off 32 balls. Rahmanullah Gurbaz added a quick 30 off 20 as Afghanistan’s top order dominated from the start.
Canada’s best bowler was Jaskaran Singh, who picked up 3 for 52. But dropped catches and poor fielding hurt them badly and allowed Afghanistan to cross the 200 mark.
In reply, Canada never looked in control. They were restricted to 118 for 8 in their 20 overs.
Mohammad Nabi was brilliant with the ball, taking 4 for 7 in a superb spell. Rashid Khan chipped in with two wickets to keep the pressure on.
Harsh Thaker scored 30 and Saad Bin Zafar made 28. The pair added 53 runs for the sixth wicket, but the target was too big and the game had already slipped away.
Earlier in Colombo, Sri Lanka posted 178 for 7 against Zimbabwe. Pathum Nissanka top scored with 62 off 41 balls, hitting eight fours.
Pavan Rathnayake played a handy knock of 44 off 25 balls to push Sri Lanka close to 180.
However, Zimbabwe chased down the target with confidence. They reached 182 for 4 in just 19.3 overs to seal a strong win.
Brian Bennett starred with 63 at the top of the order. Captain Sikandar Raza added 45 and guided the chase calmly.
Zimbabwe’s bowlers had earlier done well to limit Sri Lanka. Graeme Cremer, Blessing Muzarabani and Brad Evans took two wickets each to keep the total within reach.
Both Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka have qualified for the Super 8s. Zimbabwe finished on top of Group B, while Sri Lanka also moved ahead to the next round.
These matches were dead rubbers in terms of qualification. But Afghanistan and Zimbabwe played with pride and showed what they are capable of.
Afghanistan will wonder what might have been had they edged South Africa earlier. Zimbabwe, meanwhile, underlined their strong campaign with another confident performance before the Super 8s.