By Editor 
The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup gets underway on February 7, and all 20 teams have been fine-tuning their preparations through Icc Men’s T20 World Cup Warm-up Matches. These matches have helped teams assess form and conditions ahead of the tournament.
Netherlands came a dropped catch away from a shock against Pakistan, while USA gave India a scare on a wicket that offered something to both seamers and batters during the Icc Men’s T20 World Cup Warm-up Matches.
| Date | Match | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Feb 2026 | Italy vs UAE | Italy 193/7, UAE 81/10 | Italy won by 112 runs |
| 5 Feb 2026 | Afghanistan vs West Indies | Afghanistan 182/6, WI 159/7 | Afghanistan won by 23 runs |
| 5 Feb 2026 | New Zealand vs USA | New Zealand 208/7, USA 201/8 | New Zealand won by 7 runs |
| 5 Feb 2026 | Oman vs Zimbabwe | Zimbabwe 187/7, Oman 188/6 | Oman won by 4 wickets |
| 5 Feb 2026 | Canada vs Nepal | Canada 161/6, Nepal 162/4 | Nepal won by 6 wickets |
India vs. Sri Lanka
The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup warm-up matches are scheduled to take place from February 2 to 6 before the tournament officially kicks off on February 7.
The match is an important opportunity for teams to tweak their strategies and get accustomed to local conditions. The warm-up matches will be played across designated venues in India and Sri Lanka. The tournament will feature full member nations as well as ICC ‘A’ teams.
India won their first warm-up game against the United States on Wednesday with a convincing 87-run victory. Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya led the way with three wickets each, while Mohammed Siraj was rewarded for his last-minute inclusion as Harshit Rana’s replacement with a two-wicket burst. Despite a slow start, India recovered well with some solid innings from Sanjay Krishnamurthi and Milind Kumar.
In the other warm-up match, Pakistan beat Bangladesh by a margin of five wickets. Faheem Ashraf’s brilliant cameo helped the Asian side to a three-wicket victory in Colombo. The match was also notable for the introduction of the stop clock, which will be used for all white-ball internationals from 2022 onwards.
The 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup will be held in the United Arab Emirates and Oman, with India hosting the main tournament along with Sri Lanka.
The ICC has confirmed that the tournament will be played over five weeks from February 7 to March 29, 2026. The competition will feature 16 teams, and the top four will qualify for the semifinals.
Earlier this month, the ICC announced that the tournament would be moved from Australia to the UAE and Oman due to security concerns. The move comes after a decision to postpone the Women’s T20 World Cup in India earlier this week.
The ICC’s decision to relocate the tournament has come as a surprise, but it’s not the only controversy surrounding the 2026 event.
It’s also been reported that a number of high-profile players have pulled out due to concerns over security in India. Adding to the drama, Bangladesh’s PCB has remained firm in its stance not to travel to India for the tournament.
West Indies vs. Scotland
Having been invited to this tournament as replacements for Bangladesh – who refused to play due to security concerns – Scotland have had to work around the clock to ensure their players could be available.
Wicketkeeper Matthew Cross spent last month renovating his home, spinner Tom Bruce cut short a commitment with Central Districts in New Zealand and many others found childcare at just days’ notice.
Despite the distractions, the Scottish team have arrived in India ready to play. And they will be a team nobody in Group B should take lightly: they are ranked 14th in the world and have shown at each of the last three T20 World Cups that they can cause serious problems.
The match will be played at Eden Gardens, which hosts high-scoring afternoon games in the Indian IPL. And it will be a perfect warm-up for the high-pressure conditions in Kolkata when the tournament starts.
The game will also provide an opportunity for Jason Holder to add to his impressive T20I record. He needs two more wickets to become the 35th bowler in history to claim 100 T20I scalps.
The all-rounder will be bolstered by the return of the flamboyant Chris Gayle, who will lead the line-up and play in the Powerplay alongside Holder. He will be looking to make the most of his first match in a World Cup since 2022, when he gave Australia a run for their money in St Lucia.
England vs. New Zealand
Gulbadin Naib’s half-century helped Afghanistan post a competitive total of 182/6 against New Zealand in their opening T20 World Cup warm-up match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
Black Caps pacer Lockie Ferguson had rattled the Afghan top order in his first two overs removing both Ibrahim Zadran and Sediqullah Atal, but Naib’s 63 from 37 deliveries kept the innings alive.
England slipped to 31/2 after openers Jason Roy and Alex Hales fell in quick succession, but Jos Buttler and James Bairstow ensured that they were not all out for a low total.
However, spinner Moeen Ali and leg-spinner Adil Rashid kept the pressure on by claiming both Mark Chapman and Daryl Mitchell at crucial times to break the 76-run stand between Glenn Phillips and Tim Seifert.
Buttler hit a six and a four in the final over from Trent Boult to help England claim victory with just four balls remaining.
The match was a tense affair as the teams prepared to face off in their first World Cup encounter in Mumbai. All 20 teams have now fine-tuned their preparations with a series of warm-up matches over the past week, including defending champion India’s 30 run win against South Africa.
Australia vs. Pakistan
Defending champions Australia were humiliated by Pakistan in a one-sided warm-up match at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium. It was the heaviest loss in terms of runs in a Twenty20 international stretching back 21 years.
Pakistan’s spinners were untiring in their pursuit of Australia’s batsmen, with Mohammad Nawaz leading the way with a five-wicket haul. Australia, who have never won a T20 world cup, were reduced to just 96 from 16.5 tortuous overs.
Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha hit his highest score in the shortest format and Usman Khan also struck a half-century as they put on 198-5. It was Pakistan’s best total in a T20I against Australia. Their spin quintet then ripped through Australia’s batting, with Abrar Ahmed taking 3-36 and Shadab Khan claiming 3-26.
Australia captain Cameron Green top-scored with a 20-ball 35 before he was bowled by spinner Usman Tariq. Xavier Bartlett and Matthew Kuhnemann also chipped in with wickets.
The win gives Pakistan a 2-0 lead in the two-match series and puts them in an unbeatable position ahead of the start of the main event on February 7. The victory was their fourth in a row, having lost only one of their previous six matches in this format.
A brace of four sixes and a four by Babar Azam helped Pakistan to a fast-paced start, with the pair adding 62 in just three overs in the power play. After losing opener Aaron Finch for a duck, they lost three more wickets in quick succession as the innings petered out.
Sher Malla and Gulbadin Naib shared an unbroken third-wicket stand of 63, with Malla hitting three sixes and a four in his 36-ball innings.
It was his maiden T20 international fifty and made him only the second Nepali cricketer to reach the milestone in this format. Tim Seifert also became the fifth New Zealand batsman to pass 2,000 T20I runs.
He reached the mark in the final over of the match with his eighth boundary and a six. It took him just 17 balls to get there. This was his first appearance since breaking his arm in training in November.