India to play three T20I matches against Afghanistan in Delhi; Bangladesh tour cancelled

Afghanistan has qualified for the ODI World Cup 2027. The second match of the five-match ODI series between Ireland and Afghanistan was played on August 7 at the Brady Cricket Club Ground in Northern Ireland. In this match, the Afghan team registered a victory by 92 runs. The host team was given a target of 300 runs but could only score 207 runs in 33.4 overs. In this win, Afghanistan's spinner Rashid Khan performed brilliantly, taking 6 wickets for 34 runs.

With this victory, Afghanistan has become the ninth team to qualify for the ODI World Cup 2027. India, Australia, England, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka had already secured their spots in the ODI World Cup. Additionally, South Africa and Zimbabwe received automatic qualification as hosts.

Currently, only one spot remains for direct entry into the World Cup, for which Bangladesh and West Indies are competing. However, the West Indies team is almost out of this race. The two-time world champion team is currently ranked 10th in the ODI rankings and has only two ODI matches left before the September 30 cutoff date. Both these matches are scheduled against India in September.

If the proposed ODI series between Bangladesh and India in September does not take place, it will be impossible for the West Indies to participate in the World Cup qualifiers. The Indian team is scheduled to play three ODIs and three T20 Internationals between September 1 and 13 in Bangladesh, and under current circumstances, it seems unlikely that the Indian team will tour Bangladesh. In such a scenario, Bangladesh, ranked ninth, is also considered almost certain to enter the World Cup.

It should be noted that the ICC has made significant changes for the ODI World Cup 2027. In this 14-team tournament, teams coming from the qualifiers will not get a direct spot in the main group. The winner of the World Cup qualifiers will enter the main stage directly, while teams finishing in second, third, and fourth place will have to overcome an additional hurdle. The ICC announced this new format in July. According to this, the three teams finishing second to fourth in the qualifiers will participate in the World Cup preliminary round 'Super Series'. Only one of these teams will advance to secure a spot in the 12-team main stage.

The ODI World Cup 2027 will be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. This tournament will run from October 4 to November 21 and will feature matches across a total of 12 venues. South Africa and Zimbabwe have automatic qualification due to being hosts, while the other host country, Namibia, will have to go through the qualification process.

A total of 10 teams will participate in the World Cup qualifiers. These will include the two full member teams ranked lowest in the ICC ODI rankings as of September 30, 2026, one of which is Ireland and the other will be West Indies or Bangladesh. Additionally, the top four teams from the CWC League 2 will also qualify. The remaining four spots are reserved for teams coming from the World Cup Qualifier Playoffs.

This situation is particularly worrying for the West Indies, as the team also failed to qualify for the 2023 ODI World Cup. Their defeat against the Netherlands in a Super Over in Harare was a major setback for their campaign. Now, the two-time champion team faces the threat of being excluded from the ODI World Cup for the second consecutive time.

The Women's T20 Asia Cup 2026 will be held from August 28 to September 13 in Dubai. Eight teams will participate in this tournament.

The most significant event for cricket fans will be the match between India and Pakistan, which will take place on September 5. The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) published the tournament schedule on Thursday, August 6.

The tournament will be played in a T20 format. After the group stage, the top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals, and the final match is scheduled for September 13.

The tournament will start with a group A match between Hong Kong and Thailand. The Indian team was placed in Group A along with Pakistan, Thailand, Hong Kong, and China. Group B consists of Bangladesh, the host country UAE, and Indonesia, as well as the reigning champion Sri Lanka.

Teams in each group will play each other once. The first semi-final is scheduled for September 10 and will be between the best team from Group A and the second team from Group B. The second semi-final will be on September 11 and will feature the second team from Group A against the best team from Group B. The final will be on September 13.

One of the key matches in Group B will be the encounter between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh on September 6. Sri Lanka will compete as the defending champion, while Bangladesh won the Women's Asia Cup in 2018.

India is one of the most successful teams in the history of the Women's Asia Cup. The Indian team has won seven titles, including four trophies in the ODI format (in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2008) and three trophies in the T20 format (in 2012, 2016, and 2022).

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has finalized the schedule for the ODI World Cup 2027 qualification matches. This important tournament, which will feature 10 teams, is scheduled from February 22 to March 23, 2027, although the host country has not yet been decided, according to Cricinfo.

In July 2026, the ICC introduced a new format for the ODI World Cup 2027, significantly increasing the importance of the qualifiers. The winner of this 10-team tournament will gain direct entry into the main group stage of the World Cup, which will consist of 14 teams. Teams finishing second, third, and fourth in the qualifiers will participate in the first phase super series of the World Cup, from which the best team will advance to the stage with 12 main teams.

The ODI World Cup 2027 itself will take place from October 4 to November 11, 2027, across 12 different venues in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.

Qualification Participants

Ten teams will participate in the qualifiers. These will include two teams with the lowest rankings among full members, excluding the host nations of South Africa and Zimbabwe, based on the ODI ranking as of September 30, 2026. Additionally, four teams from CWC League 2 will be included. Another four teams will proceed through the World Cup qualification playoffs.

The World Cup qualification playoffs will see the four lower-ranked teams from CWC League 2 compete against four teams from the Challenge League. The format for these eight teams has not yet been determined, but the top four teams will qualify for the World Cup. Within the Challenge Group, 12 teams will be divided into two groups, and the top two teams from each group will qualify for the playoffs.

Threat for West Indies

Currently, the West Indies rank tenth in the ODI rankings and must play two matches against India in September before their cutoff is determined. The fate of the team may also be decided by the series between Afghanistan (8th place) and Ireland (12th place).

If Ireland wins against Afghanistan by a score of 4-1 or 5-0, two victories against India could propel the West Indies into the top 8. However, if Afghanistan wins this series, the West Indies will likely have to participate in the qualifiers. It is worth noting that in 2023, the West Indies failed to qualify for the ODI World Cup after losing to the Netherlands in a super over during the qualifiers held in Harare.