T20 World Cup 2026: No South Africa as former England skipper picks his four semifinalists for global event

The T20 World Cup fever has finally kicked in, setting cricket enthusiasts into a frenzy. The warm-up games have already begun, and the teams are using this phase to make last-minute preparations for the marquee event.

After India’s 4-1 win in the five-match T20I series against New Zealand, former England captain Michael Vaughan had no hesitation while naming the Men in Blue one of the top teams in the tournament. Alongside India, Vaughan backed England, New Zealand, and Australia to reach the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup. He didn’t keep South Africa in his list of probable semi-finalists in the upcoming tournament. The Proteas made it to the finals of the previous T20 World Cup but lost to India.

“My 4 T20 World Cup semi-finalists will be … India, England, NZ & Australia …” Vaughan wrote on ‘X’.

India, the defending champions of the T20 World Cup, will look to become the first team to win the coveted title thrice. Like them, the West Indies and England have two titles apiece.

The Men in Blue have not lost a bilateral series since Suryakumar Yadav took charge as captain in mid-2024. They recently defeated the Black Caps 4-1 in a five-match T20I series at home. They are placed in Group A alongside Pakistan, Namibia, the Netherlands, and the USA. On the other hand, Australia find themselves in Group B along with Oman, Ireland, Zimbabwe, and Sri Lanka.

Harry Brook’s England are in Group C, with the West Indies, Scotland, Nepal, and Italy for company. Lastly, New Zealand are in the tricky Group D with Afghanistan, South Africa, the UAE, and Canada also being in the mix.

Only the top two teams from each group will progress to the Super-Eight stage of the competition. The tournament is being played in the same format as the previous edition in 2024.

The T20 World Cup commences on Saturday, February 7, with three games set to be played on the opening day. Pakistan face the Netherlands in Colombo, the West Indies meet Scotland in Kolkata, and defending champions India square off against the USA in Mumbai on Saturday.