We look at the sides in Group C – England, Scotland, West Indies, Nepal and debutants Italy – for the T20 World Cup, which is live on Sky Sports from February 7 to March 8.
England
Best result: Winners (2010, 2022)
2024 result: Lost to India in semi-finals
How did they qualify for 2026? Through performance at last T20 World Cup
Head coach: Brendon McCullum
Squad: Harry Brook (captain), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Josh Tongue, Luke Wood.
Players to watch: Take your pick. From the potent opening duo of Jos Buttler and Phil Salt – the former England’s greatest white-ball batter ever, the latter having smoked four T20I hundreds including one from 39 balls – through to Jacob Bethell, captain Harry Brook and more in the middle order, England’s batting is stacked.
Add in leg-spin magician Adil Rashid leading a strong group of turners, plus Jofra Archer part of a varied seam attack, and Brook’s men look to have most bases covered. The Ashes this winter was an abject failure. The T20 World Cup should be different…
Round-one fixtures: vs Nepal (February 8, Mumbai), vs West Indies (February 11, Mumbai); vs Scotland (February 14, Kolkata); vs Italy (February 16, Kolkata)
Scotland
Best result: Super 12s (2021)
2024 result: Lost in round one
How did they qualify for 2026? Replaced Bangladesh after Asian side removed for refusing to play in India
Head coach: Owen Dawkins
Squad: Richie Berrington (captain), Tom Bruce, Matthew Cross, Bradley Currie, Oliver Davidson, Chris Greaves, Zainullah Ihsan, Michael Jones, Michael Leask, Finlay McCreath, Brandon McMullen, George Munsey, Safyaan Sharif, Mark Watt, Brad Wheal. Reserves: Jasper Davidson, Jack Jarvis. Non-travelling reserves: Mackenzie Jones, Chris McBride, Charlie Tear.
Scotland’s Brandon McMullen will be key to his side’s hopes
Players to watch: Late entrants Scotland came fourth in the European Qualifier, behind Netherlands, Italy and Jersey, and have had little prep time after taking Bangladesh’s spot, but may still fancy their chances of pushing for the Super 8s.
An experienced set of players are now joined by ex-New Zealand batter Tom Bruce, who qualifies for the Saltires through his father’s Edinburgh roots, and 19-year-old Afghanistan-born seamer Zainullah Ihsan, whose only experience of the game before arriving in the UK was through tape-ball cricket.
Stalwart left-arm spinner Mark Watt is a canny operator who occasionally bowls from 25 yards to keep batters guessing, while batter Brandon McMullen clobbered 95 off 39 balls in a warm-up against Namibia and 60 off 34 deliveries against Australia in the 2024 T20 World Cup as Scotland threatened an upset.
Round-one fixtures: vs West Indies (February 7, Kolkata), vs Italy (February 9, Kolkata); vs England (February 14, Kolkata); vs Nepal (February 17, Mumbai)
West Indies
Best result: Champions (2012, 2016)
2024 result: Knocked out in Super 8s
How did they qualify for 2026? Through performance at last T20 World Cup
Head coach: Daren Sammy
Squad: Shai Hope (captain), Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Gudakesh Motie, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Quentin Sampson, Jayden Seales, Romario Shepherd.
West Indies’ Sherfane Rutherford is a six-hitting supremo
Players to watch: With T20 often, if not exclusively, a six-hitting competition, it would be unwise to write off West Indies, despite the Caribbean clan losing 27 and winning just 14 of their last 43 T20Is. Sherfane Rutherford is superb at clearing the ropes, biffing 26 in 10 innings for Pretoria Capitals during the recently-concluded SA20.
Captain Shai Hope struck the top score in that competition (118no off 69 balls with nine sixes) while bowling-wise West Indies can all on effervescent fast bowler Shamar Joseph, although not namesake Alzarri, who is injured, as well as left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein. Hosein is often deployed during the powerplay.
Round-one fixtures: vs Scotland (February 7, Kolkata), vs England (February 11, Mumbai); vs Nepal (February 15, Mumbai); vs Italy (February 19, Kolkata)
Italy
Best result: Never played in tournament before
2024 result: N/A
How did they qualify for 2026? Came through Europe Qualifier
Head coach: John Davison
Squad: Wayne Madsen (captain), Marcus Campopiano, Gian Piero Meade, Zain Ali, Ali Hasan, Crishan Jorge, Harry Manenti, Anthony Mosca, Justin Mosca, Syed Naqvi, Ben Manenti, Jaspreet Singh, JJ Smuts, Grant Stewart, Thomas Draca.
Derbyshire veteran Wayne Madsen will captain Italy
Players to watch: Injury has denied Durham’s former Northamptonshire batter Emilio Gay a World Cup chance but Derbyshire veteran Wayne Madsen, 42, will captain the side, making his debut in a Cricket World Cup 20 years after he represented his native South Africa in the hockey version. Ex-South Africa all-rounder JJ Smuts is also in Italy’s squad.
There is an Australian flavour to the Azzurri’s group in the form of brothers Ben and Harry Manenti, who have spent the winter playing in the Big Bash League for Sydney Sixers and Adelaide Strikers respectively, while former Ireland all-rounder Kevin O’Brien is part of the coaching staff.
Round-one fixtures: vs Scotland (February 9, Kolkata); vs Nepal (February 12, Mumbai); vs England (February 16, Kolkata); vs West Indies (February 19, Kolkata)
Nepal
Best result: Round one (2014, 2024)
2024 result: Knocked out in round one
How did they qualify for 2026? Came through Asia-Pacific Regional Final
Head coach: Stuart Law
Squad: Rohit Paudel (captain), Dipendra Singh Airee, Sandeep Lamichhane, Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh, Sundeep Jora, Aarif Sheikh, Basir Ahamad, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Nandan Yadav, Gulshan Jha, Lalit Rajbanshi, Sher Malla, Lokesh Bam.
Will Nepal, led by Rohit Paudel, cause an upset or two?
Players to watch: Nepal are viewed by many as a coming side in international cricket and proved two years ago, during a narrow one-run loss to South Africa, that they are not to be taken lightly. They won all six of their games in the qualifying final to reach the 2026 World Cup and defeated West Indies 2-1 in a T20 series last year.
If further strides are to be taken, then captain and batter Rohit Paudel, opener and spin bowler Kushal Bhurtel, and leg-break star Sandeep Lamichhane – who took 12 wickets in the qualifying competition – will probably need to play well.
Off-spinner Sher Malla bagged 17 wickets in the 2025 Nepal Premier League so keep an eye on him, too.
Round-one fixtures: vs England (February 8, Mumbai); vs Italy (February 12, Mumbai); vs West Indies (February 15, Mumbai); vs Scotland (February 17, Mumbai)
Watch the Men’s T20 World Cup live on Sky Sports from February 7 to March 8. Get Sky Sports or stream contract-free with NOW.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: skynews.com
