Former India international Krishnamachari Srikkanth dismissed any possibility of seeing Afghanistan in the semi-finals of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. The former cricketer also raised questions on the age of the Afghan cricketer.
The T20 World Cup 2026 is scheduled to begin on February 7 in India and Sri Lanka; Only a few hours are left before the opening match of the competition. Before the tournament, there is a lot of discussion about who could be the top four teams of the tournament.
Will Afghanistan also secure a place in the 2026 T20 World Cup semi-finals?
Afghanistan are considered one of the best in the business when it comes to the T20 International format. In the last edition of the Twenty20 World Cup, held in 2024, Rashid Khan and Co. proved many critics wrong and played the semi-finals. It was one of the most iconic moments of Afghan cricket since its emergence on the cricket map.
Can they do the same in 2026? The former India captain ruled out any chance, saying that the cricket team has no credibility to qualify for the semi-finals. He also raised questions on the age of his players. Srikanth walked away disappointed, as it is almost the same group of players who are set to represent Afghanistan in this year’s tournament as well.
Question on the age of cricketers!
“Afghanistan are dependent on the same old players. That’s why they are not considered contenders. Everyone in Afghanistan starts at minus 7, so they look young. I don’t think they have any chance,” he said on ‘Cheeky Cheeka’.
In the semi-finals of the 2024 World Cup, the Blue Team was badly defeated by South Africa, scoring only 56 runs for 10 wickets while batting first. South Africa easily achieved the target in just 8.5 overs and defeated the Rashid Khan captained team by 9 wickets.
This year, they will start their campaign on February 8 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. They have been placed in Group D along with South Africa, New Zealand, Canada and the United Arab Emirates. Their opening match will be against New Zealand.
Kris Srikkanth chose England for the semi-finals
Krishnamachari Srikkanth believes that South Africa can again qualify for the semi-finals this year along with India, England and Australia. However, he was slightly optimistic when selecting England for the semi-finals due to their ‘very ordinary’ bowling line-up.
The former cricketer chose England because of their batting strength. For bowling duties, the Three Lions are expected to rely mostly on Jofra Archer and Adil Rashid.
“England have a great batting line-up. But they only have two guys in their bowling, Archer and Rashid; the rest have no chance. Very, very ordinary bowling. Are they real contenders? Yes, I would still put them in the top four. Australia, South Africa, England and India. That’s the top four. But can they go beyond that? We have to see,” said Kris Srikkanth.
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