Pakistan qualify for 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka
Pakistan will look to put the disappointment of the 2024 T20 World Cup behind them and begin preparations for the next assignment after their qualification for the 2026 T20 showpiece event was confirmed on Tuesday.
Babar Azam's team had a tournament to forget as they failed to make it out of the group phase after defeats to co-hosts USA and India.
Losing finalists to England in 2022, Pakistan's failure to qualify for the Super Eight stage also had ramifications for their next major event.
All Super Eight teams of the 2024 tournament qualified automatically for the 2026 T20 World Cup, which will be held in India and Sri Lanka. While Sri Lanka also got knocked out early, they secured their entry to the 2026 tournament by virtue of being co-hosts.
That meant that teams like USA and Afghanistan had already punched their tickets to the next World Cup, while Pakistan had to wait for the tournament to end to know their fate.
According to tournament rules, the remaining top three teams in T20 rankings outside the Super Eight teams and co-hosts would qualify automatically for the 2026 edition. That made it 12 guaranteed spots, with the remaining eight teams to be decided via regional qualifiers.
At one time, there were a small chance of Pakistan slipping down the rankings by June 30 – the cut off date – to such a level that they would be forced to play qualifiers.
USA stunned Pakistan in Super Over to pull off a memorable victory in their T20 World Cup clash at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Texas on Thursday, June 6, 2024. AP
USA's Nitish Kumar hit a boundary off the last ball of the chase to force a Super Over. AFP
Pakistan's player celebrate dismissing USA Captain Monank Patel during their T20 World Cup match at the Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium. AFP
USA captain Monank Patel celebrates his fifty against Pakistan at the Grand Prairie Stadium. AP
USA's Monank Patel, left, and Andries Gous guided the hosts' chase on Thursday. AFP
Pakistan's Shaheen Afridi hits a quickfire 23 to rescue the innings. AP
Jasdeep Singh of the United States celebrates dismissing Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam. AFP
USA's Noshtush Kenjige after the dismissal of Pakistan's Shadab Khan in Texas. AP
Muhammad Ali-Khan celebrates with teammates after the dismissing Pakistan's Fakhar Zaman. AP
But Pakistan can now breathe easily after the International Cricket Council announced the team had qualified due to their ranking (seventh place), alongside New Zealand (sixth) and Ireland (11th).
The teams that have qualified for the 2026 T20 World Cup are: India, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, West Indies, USA, Pakistan, New Zealand and Ireland.
The final eight teams for the 2026 edition will be decided by regional qualifiers. Africa, Asia and Europe have two qualification spots each, with one berth for both the Americas and East-Asia Pacific regions.
It is some much needed positive news for Pakistan cricket that has been in deep turmoil. Azam was reinstated as Pakistan T20 captain in controversial circumstances after Shaheen Afridi was removed from the post ahead of the World Cup.
Reports of unrest in the team and infighting continued throughout the T20 World Cup, with players failing to control their emotions even in public – Pakistan fast bowler Haris Rauf was seen fighting with fans while out on a walk in the US.
Captain Azam blamed poor batting for his team's lacklustre show, saying: "The pitches helped the fast bowlers a little but I think overall our batting did not click.
"We lost two crucial matches even when we were in charge."
All-rounder Imad Wasim has said the team needed a complete reset of their approach to white-ball cricket and Azam agreed.
"Every player has to think, because cricket has become very fast. With modern cricket, you must have game awareness," he said.