Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has predicted the four teams he believes will reach the latter stages of the T20 World Cup 2026.
Speaking on Har Lamha Purjosh, Basit Ali said that teams in one group remained unbeaten, while sides in the other group lost one match each, which formed the basis of his prediction.
He went on to claim that India and Pakistan will face each other in the final of the T20 World Cup 2026.
Reacting to the prediction, programme host and former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik asked Basit Ali to name the remaining two teams. In response, Basit Ali named New Zealand and West Indies.
Meanwhile, former Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal shared a slightly different view, saying he believes Pakistan, New Zealand, West Indies and South Africa will qualify for the semi-finals.
Earlier, former Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir has predicted that India will fail to reach the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2026, citing repeated batting collapses as a major concern.
Speaking during a television show, the former pacer was asked to name the two teams he believes will qualify from Group 1 of the tournament’s Super 8 stage, which includes India, South Africa, West Indies and Zimbabwe.
Amir opted for South Africa and West Indies, leaving India out of his list entirely.
When pressed by the host to explain his reasoning, Amir pointed to what he described as a pattern in India’s performances so far in the tournament.
“From all the matches I have seen so far, their batting keeps collapsing, except against Pakistan,” Amir said. “The Super 8 stage brings even more pressure. The way South Africa and West Indies are playing, I feel they can beat any team.”
The statistics from India’s group-stage matches offer some support to Amir’s assessment.