Glenn Maxwell, who got the chance to open the batting for Australia during the T20I series against the West Indies, expects him to be back in the lower order when Travis Head returns to the side against South Africa in August as they aim to fix their line-up for the T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka. 

Maxwell was shifted to open for the fourth time in the shortest format. In the first game, he batted at number five, one slot lower than his regular number four position. While opening the batting, he smashed 145* and 66 on the previous occasions. Generally, the plan for Australia to open with him was to attack the spinner, who didn’t play a huge role at the tiny Warner Park.

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‘It's been great fun being at the top, but I'm sure I'm just warming Heady's seat until he comes back. I think the way we're probably going to set up our T20 side heading forward is you've got Travis up the top; you've got Mitch Marsh who is captaining us brilliantly at the moment.’ Maxwell expressed as ESPNcricinfo’s report.

Glenn Maxwell leaks Australia’s batting line-up for T20 World Cup 2026

In the opening two games, the all-rounder bashed 12 off 10 and 20 off seven balls at the Sabina Park in Jamaica before drilling 47 off 18 in St. Kitts. His record at number four is exceptional, with four T20I centuries in that position, with the best performances for him coming in the franchise cricket at number six over the past eight months.

‘They're three pretty big blokes with big reach, and they hit the ball an absolute mile, so it's great to have those guys with that extra bit of power in the middle-order. It's not something we've had an abundance of over the years, and to have that at our disposal at the moment is pretty exciting.’ Maxwell shed light.

He is nearing 37 and three years on from his jaw-dropping effort of the double century against Afghanistan in Mumbai during the ODI World Cup. But he still provides the best fielding performance for the national side as he added, ‘It's something I pride myself on, making sure that I can create opportunities on the boundary line.’

The qualification pathway for the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup takes a major step forward as Zimbabwe gets ready to host the Africa Regional Final from 19 September to 4 October 2025. Eight of the continent’s top teams will compete in Harare for two prized spots at next year’s T20 World Cup, joining South Africa, who have already qualified as one of the top eight finishers from the 2024 edition.

This tournament represents the last part of the African qualification process, after three testing sub-regional qualifications, and automatic qualifications for Namibia and Uganda for the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup.

Qualified Teams

• Namibia (from the 2024 T20 World Cup)
  
• Uganda (from the 2024 T20 World Cup)
  
• Malawi and Tanzania (from Africa Qualifier A)
  
• Kenya and Zimbabwe (from Africa Qualifier B)
  
• Botswana and Nigeria (from Africa Qualifier C)
  

Tournament Format

The eight teams have been split into two groups of four, with each team playing three group-stage matches. The top two from each group will progress to the semi-finals, and the winners of those will qualify directly for the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

All matches will be hosted at two venues in Harare: the Harare Sports Club and Takashinga Cricket Club.

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Complete Fixtures – 2025 Africa Regional Final

Group Stage Matches

Group A: Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, Malawi

• 26 Sept: Kenya vs Namibia – Harare Sports Club
  
• 26 Sept: Malawi vs Nigeria – Takashinga Cricket Club
  
• 28 Sept: Namibia vs Nigeria – Harare Sports Club
  
• 28 Sept: Kenya vs Malawi – Takashinga Cricket Club
  
• 30 Sept: Namibia vs Malawi – Harare Sports Club
  
• 30 Sept: Kenya vs Nigeria – Takashinga Cricket Club
  

Group B: Botswana, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe

• 26 Sept: Zimbabwe vs Uganda – Harare Sports Club
  
• 26 Sept: Botswana vs Tanzania – Takashinga Cricket Club
  
• 28 Sept: Tanzania vs Uganda – Takashinga Cricket Club
  
• 28 Sept: Zimbabwe vs Botswana – Harare Sports Club
  
• 30 Sept: Zimbabwe vs Tanzania – Harare Sports Club
  
• 30 Sept: Botswana vs Uganda – Takashinga Cricket Club
  

Play-offs & Knockouts

2 October – Semi-finals

• SF1: Group A 1st vs Group B 2nd – Harare Sports Club
  
• SF2: Group B 1st vs Group A 2nd – Harare Sports Club
  

2 October – 5th Place Semi-finals

• 5th SF1: Group A 3rd vs Group B 4th – Takashinga Cricket Club
  
• 5th SF2: Group B 3rd vs Group A 4th – Takashinga Cricket Club
  

Finals – 4 October 2025

• 7th Place Play-off: Loser of 5th SF1 vs Loser of 5th SF2 – Takashinga Cricket Club
  
• 5th Place Play-off: Winner of 5th SF1 vs Winner of 5th SF2 – Takashinga Cricket Club
  
• 3rd Place Play-off: Loser of SF1 vs Loser of SF2 – Harare Sports Club
  
• Final: Winner of SF1 vs Winner of SF2 – Harare Sports Club
  

What’s at Stake

The two finalists will qualify directly for the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, joining South Africa to represent the African continent. With competitive squads and balanced groups, the tournament promises high-stakes action as teams chase a dream World Cup ticket.

The African Regional Final is more than just a qualifying event; it’s a platform for emerging teams like Nigeria, Botswana, and Malawi to show their progress and for established sides like Zimbabwe, Namibia, and Uganda to reaffirm their regional dominance.

Joe Burns’ cricket journey has taken a remarkable and emotional turn. Once a Test opener for Australia, he is now set to lead Italy in their debut appearance at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2026, an achievement that goes far beyond sport.

Burns stepped onto the international stage in the 2014 Boxing Day Test at the MCG, a match that will be remembered for many reasons, as MS Dhoni's farewell, KL Rahul's first steps into international cricket, yet for Burns, it marked an uneven start to international cricket. While Rahul prospered from this opportunity, Burns had ups and downs - although he scored four Test centuries in just 23 matches, a lack of consistency and stiff competition saw him fall out of favour with Australia's plans by 2020.

But it was never say never for Burns. In 2024, after the tragedy of his brother Dominic's passing away unexpectedly, Burns decided to represent Italy, the land of his maternal grandparents. His decision to play for Italy was not just about playing cricket; it was about playing as a brother in mourning. He represented Italy wearing jersey number 85, which was the same number Dominic wore to play club cricket, yet also the year he was born. It's a number that not just represented Dominic, but ultimately it was 85 as a tribute.

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Joe Burns Leads Italy to First-Ever T20 World Cup with Heart and Determination

Taking over as Italy’s T20I captain in late 2024, Burns brought structure, belief, and professionalism to a team not expected to go far. In a regional qualifier packed with favourites like Scotland and the Netherlands, Italy needed to hang tough. They did exactly that. In their final group game, they managed to restrict the Netherlands just enough to edge through on net run rate. Burns’ best moment came against Romania, where he hammered an unbeaten 108 off 55 balls, a defining innings in Italy’s fairytale run.

Now, as Italy gets ready to feature in their first-ever global tournament, Burns stands at the centre of a story few saw coming. It’s not just about cricket anymore. It’s about family, love, and honouring the past while building a new future for himself, for Italy, and for the brother who never got to see this dream realized.

The road to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 officially begins in The Hague, Netherlands, as the ICC T20 World Cup Europe Region Final 2025 kicks off today, July 5, at Sportpark Westvliet. Five European nations, the Netherlands, Scotland, Italy, Jersey, and Guernsey, will battle it out for two coveted spots in next year’s global tournament set to take place in India and Sri Lanka.

Tournament Overview

• Dates: July 5 – July 11, 2025
• Venue: Sportpark Westvliet, The Hague, Netherlands
• Format: Single round-robin (each team plays 4 matches)
• Qualification: The Top 2 teams qualify for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026
• Total Matches: 10
• Match Days: July 5, 6, 8, 9, and 11

Participating Teams & Captains

Full Schedule & Match Timings (IST)

July 5 (Saturday):

• Netherlands vs Jersey – 2:30 PM IST
• Italy vs Guernsey – 7:30 PM IST

July 6 (Sunday):

• Guernsey vs Scotland – 2:30 PM IST
• Italy vs Jersey – 7:30 PM IST

July 8 (Tuesday):

• Guernsey vs Jersey – 2:30 PM IST
• Scotland vs Netherlands – 7:30 PM IST

July 9 (Wednesday):

• Italy vs Scotland – 2:30 PM IST 
• Guernsey vs Netherlands – 7:30 PM IST

July 11 (Friday):

• Scotland vs Jersey – 2:30 PM IST
• Netherlands vs Italy – 7:30 PM IST

Key Players to Watch

• Netherlands: Max O'Dowd, Scott Edwards, Roelof van der Merwe
• Scotland: Richie Berrington, Brandon McMullen, George Munsey
• Italy: Joe Burns, Grant Stewart, Syed Naqvi
• Jersey: Benjamin Ward, Julius Sumerauer, Asa Tribe
• Guernsey: Matthew Stokes, Josh Butler, Anthony Stokes

ALSO SEE: [WATCH] Rishabh Pant hilarious stump mic moment in ENG vs IND 2nd Test

Full Squads

Netherlands

Scott Edwards (C), Max O’Dowd, Roelof van der Merwe, Bas de Leede, Teja Nidamanuru, Aryan Dutt, Paul van Meekeren, Ryan Klein, Kyle Klein, Hidde Overdijk, Michael Levitt, Noah Croes, Saqib Zulfiqar, Daniel Doram, Zach Lion-Cachet.

Scotland

Richie Berrington (C), Matthew Cross, George Munsey, Brandon McMullen, Michael Leask, Safyaan Sharif, Mark Watt, Jack Jarvis, Chris Greaves, Charlie Tear, Jasper Davidson, Chris McBride, Finlay McCreath, Bradley Currie, Oli Hairs.

Italy

Joe Burns (C), Grant Stewart, Marcus Campopiano, Emilio Gay, Ben Manenti, Harry Manenti, Crishan Kalugamage, Zain Ali, Thomas Draca, Jaspreet Singh, Syed Naqvi, Justin Mosca, Anthony Mosca, Gian-Piero Meade, Bilal Khan.

Jersey

Chuggy Perchard (C), Ben Ward, Asa Tribe, Zak Tribe, Jonty Jenner, Nick Greenwood, Charlie Brennan, Harrison Carlyon, Julius Sumerauer, Jake Dunford, Patrick Gouge, Dominic Blampied, George Richardson, Will Perchard, Theo Pullman.

Guernsey

Ollie Nightingale (C), Matt Stokes, Anthony Stokes, Josh Butler, Adam Martel, Declan Martel, Tom Nightingale, Ben Ferbrache, Alex Bushell, Charlie Forshaw, Harry Johnson, Martin Dale Bradley, Ben Fitchet, Edward Robinson, Charles Birch.

Where to Watch

Fans in India can catch all the live action on the FanCode app and FanCode website. Geo-restrictions may apply to other regions.

What’s at Stake?

This is the final stage of European qualification for the T20 World Cup 2026. The top two teams at the end of the round-robin stage will directly qualify for the main event next year in India and Sri Lanka, joining regional qualifiers and automatic entrants like England and Ireland.

With the Netherlands and Scotland starting as favorites, and the likes of Italy and Jersey boasting strong X-factors, fans are in for a thrilling week of Associate-level T20 action.

Canada has officially qualified for the 2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup, which will be held in India and Sri Lanka. The qualification was confirmed by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on June 22 after Canada thrashed the Bahamas by seven wickets in Match 9 of the Americas Regional Final Qualifier. This victory helped Canada to extend their unbeaten streak in the tournament since they had previously beaten Bermuda and the Cayman Islands in the competition.

Playing on the Maple Leaf North-West Ground in King City, Canada won the toss and chose to bowl first. Their bowlers made full use of the conditions, as left-arm pacer Kaleem Sana came with figures of 3/6, while off-spinner Shivam Sharma picked 3/16. The relentless bowling attack reduced the Bahamas to 57 runs in only 19.5 overs, leaving the hosts with a routine chase.

Canada, in response, turned the target into light work. Opener Dilpreet Bajwa struck a blistering cameo as he smacked an unbeaten 36 off only 14 balls. His blistering knock saw Canada reach the target in just 5.3 overs to record their fifth win in as many qualifier matches and qualify for next year's T20 World Cup.

Final Clash vs Bermuda to Wrap Up Perfect Campaign

Canada, under Nicholas Kirton, will now face their sixth and final match of the tournament against Bermuda in King City. The match starts at 1:00 AM IST on Monday, June 23, and will provide Canada with an opportunity to end the regional qualifiers on a high by winning six out of six matches.

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Thus, Canada has so far dominated the Americas Region Final, winning two against the Cayman Islands and the Bahamas each and one against Bermuda. Their qualification for the 2026 World Cup has been through steady all-rounder performances, good leadership, and a strong bowling attack that has kept the opposition under pressure throughout the tournament.