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Zimbabwe pulled off another upset in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026 as they gunned down Sri Lanka by six wickets in the Group B fixture on February 19. Sikandar Raza-led side's win marked their second major upset of the 2026 T20 World Cup, following an earlier triumph against Australia that played a pivotal role in eliminating the 2021 champions. As a result, the African nation advances to the Super 8 stage as one of only four unbeaten teams in the competition, joining a high-profile trio consisting of India, the West Indies, and South Africa.
The Super 8 format that put India, Zimbabwe, WI & SA together
While Zimbabwe finished with three wins and one washout against Ireland, the other three powerhouses produced perfect records in the opening round. India secured their spot by defeating the USA, Namibia, Pakistan, and the Netherlands. The West Indies dominated their group with victories over Scotland, England, Nepal, and Italy, while South Africa maintained their streak by overcoming Canada, Afghanistan, New Zealand, and the UAE.
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Group 1 & Group 2 of Super 8
In a departure from traditional tournament formats where group winners and runners-up are typically mixed, the 2026 T20 World Cup features a unique Super 8 structure. For the second round, all four first-place finishers have been placed together in Group 1, while the four teams that finished second in their respective groups will compete in Group 2. This setup ensures a highly competitive environment for the top-seeded teams as they vie for a spot in the semi-finals.
The unusual structure of the Super 8 stage, which sees all group leaders grouped together, is the result of a pre-seeding system implemented by the International Cricket Council (ICC). Under this format, the eight top-ranked teams were assigned specific slots in the Super 8 groups before the tournament even commenced. If a non-seeded team qualifies at the expense of a seeded one, they simply inherit that pre-assigned position regardless of whether they finished first or second in their group.
The efficiency of this system was evident as seven of the eight pre-seeded nations successfully advanced to the second round. Australia was the sole seeded team to be eliminated during the group stages, which allowed Zimbabwe to step directly into their vacant slot in Group 1. This mechanism ensures the tournament bracket remains predictable for organizers, even when major upsets occur.
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