Outplayed by the West Indies after a nervy win over Nepal, Harry Brook’s England do at least remain on course to qualify for the Super 8 phase of the ICC T20 World Cup, going into today’s third group game with Scotland.

With the ICC event structure protecting England’s seeding, the knockout route for Brook’s men remains unchanged.

Remarkably, no English player has cracked the top 10 in run-scoring or wicket-taking as the former world champions head into their decisive Group C games against Scotland on Saturday and Italy on Monday.

Averaging 44, Jacob Bethell has shone brightest for England, topping the run charts for the two-time winners through the opening week of the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.

Breakout star: Zimbabwe's Blessing Muzarabani celebrates after taking the wicket of Australia's Adam Zampa during the 2026 ICC Men's T20 Cricket World Cup group stage (Picture: Ishara S. KODIKARA / AFP via Getty Images)

placeholder image — Breakout star: Zimbabwe's Blessing Muzarabani celebrates after taking the wicket of Australia's Adam Zampa during the 2026 ICC Men's T20 Cricket World Cup group stage (Picture: Ishara S. KODIKARA / AFP via Getty Images)

Bazballing his way to the top of the standings, New Zealand opener Tim Seifert achieved the highest batting average (154) with impressive knocks against giant-killers Afghanistan and minnows UAE.

Fresh from a sublime 42-ball 65 against Rashid Khan’s men, Seifert stitched the highest opening run-stand (175) with an in-form Finn Allen for the Black Caps at the T20 World Cup. En route to his match-winning 89 not out off 42 balls, the tournament’s top scorer smashed the joint-fastest fifty (off 23 balls) in New Zealand’s T20 World Cup history.

If one Super Over is tough enough, South Africa and Afghanistan needed two to settle their heart-stopping T20 World Cup clash. It was gut-wrenching for Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who smoked three sixes in a row off Keshav Maharaj in the second Super Over, only to end on the losing side.

Gurbaz also shouldered the bulk of Afghanistan’s scoring against South Africa, blasting a scintillating 84 off just 42 balls in the 20-over thriller.

New Zealand's Tim Seifert plays a shot during the 2026 ICC Men's T20 Cricket World Cup group stage match between New Zealand and United Arab Emirates (Picture: R. Satish BABU / AFP via Getty Images)

Flexing his muscles on the mighty Australian side on Friday, Blessing Muzarabani extended Zimbabwe’s undefeated T20 World Cup run with a stunning 23-run upset of Australia which pushed England’s Ashes rivals out of the top two in Group B.

In a career-defining spell, Muzarabani snared 4-17 - the finest bowling figures by any Zimbabwean at the T20 World Cup – after Brian Bennett made 64 off 56 balls as Zimbabwe totalled a match-winning 169-2.

The 29-year-old also marked his 100th T20 international wicket during the Colombo upset, keeping Zimbabwe as the sole unbeaten side against Australia in the competition’s history.