Along with the batters, the group stage of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 will be remembered for some jaw-dropping bowling spells as well. From Romario Shepherd to Usman Tariq, there are multiple players who, out of the blue, put the batting side on halt.

Top 5 bowling performances in the group stage:

1. Romario Shepherd (5/20 vs Scotland): Romario Shepherd is not among the top-notch bowlers across the world. Still, he managed to encrypt his name in the history book through a hat trick, the first hat trick in the tournament. Scotland lost three batters back-to-back on 133 while chasing a target of 183. Helped by the brilliant bowling spell by the pace bowling all-rounder, West Indies won the match by 35 runs. Shepherd ended with a bowling spell of 5/20, so far the best in the campaign. 

2. Junaid Siddique (5/35 vs Canada): In a close fight contest, Junaid Siddique, the Pakistan-born UAE pacer, registered the second-best bowling figures in the group stage with 5/35. Canada scored 150 for 7. Among those 7 dismissals, Siddique caused five. The UAE eventually won the match by 5 wickets, with 2 more balls to spare. 

Read More: Top 5 batting performances in group stage of T20 World Cup 2026

3. Mohammad Nabi (4/7 vs Canada): Canada had to face another match-turning bowling spell. Afghanistan's experienced spinner was scalped 4 times only for an economy rate of 1.75. So far, the best economy rate is produced by any bowler in the list of the top 20 best bowling numbers in the group stage of the T20 World Cup 2026. Against Afghanistan's first innings of 200, Canada got only 118 runs for 8 in 20 overs. 

4. Nathan Ellis (4/12 vs Ireland): Australia crashed out of the tournament, but one of their pacers, Nathan Ellis, left their mark. Against Ireland, Ellis got 4 wickets, offering only 12 runs in his 3.5 overs of skills, including a maiden over. Australia won the match by 67 runs after securing 182 in the first innings. The Aussie pacer was named as the best player of the game. 

5. Usman Tariq (4/16 vs Namibia): In a must-win match, Pakistan's controversial spinner Usman Tariq took 4 wickets against Namibia and helped his team to secure a spot in the Super 8. Because of Tariq's four-wicket spell, Namibia bundled only 97 against Pakistan's 199.

In the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, Australia finally started their campaign against Ireland on February 11 at the R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo. They are one of the favorites in the tournament and will have their eyes on the trophy this time. 

Before entering the marquee event, Australia received a huge blow as skipper Mitchell Marsh was ruled out of the first game due to a testicular injury. Instead of him, Travis Head led the team against Ireland. 

Meanwhile, the Aussies won the toss, batted first, and put up 182 runs on the board for Ireland to chase. In the absence of prime bowlers like Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, many had thought that the Australian bowling attack might suffer. 

On the contrary, Nathan Ellis proved everyone wrong with his terrific spell in the ongoing match against Ireland. As we write, the right-arm pace has bowled four overs and has conceded just 12 runs, picking up four wickets. 

Along with Ellis, Adam Zampa bowled brilliantly. In his quota of four overs, he conceded 23 runs and claimed four wickets. These two bowlers wreaked havoc on Ireland's batters, preventing them from settling at all.

Nathan Ellis dismisses Ross Adair, leaving the player in confusion

In the second over of the game, Ellis got his first wicket. Opening batter Ross Adair, who looked extremely confused as he couldn't read the ball, headed back to the pavilion with a faint smile. Ellis tricked him with a slower delivery as Adair tried to play it towards the onside. 

Watch the video here:

What was that, Nathan Ellis?! 🙌

A slower one so good, you can’t help but smile! 😅

ICC Men’s #T20WorldCup | #AUSvIRE | LIVE NOW 👉 https://t.co/jGP2pQtjsX pic.twitter.com/rYcDNLA5bc

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) February 11, 2026

However, to his surprise, the ball hits the pads and then the middle-stumps, sending the batter back to the pavilion. After Paul Stirling was retired hurt, Ireland were definitely counting on Adair to stay back and head the run chase. Soon after his dismissal, the batting lineup fell like a pack of cards. Adair was dismissed on 12 off 9 balls. 

Chasing 184 runs, Ireland's batters failed to stitch partnerships, which is where they almost lost the game. While playing against a strong team like Australia, it's always important to spend some time on the crease and understand the bowlers.

George Dockrell did try to save the team down the order, but didn't get the support from the other end. With this loss, Ireland will be almost eliminated from the tournament. 

Brief Scores: Australia 182/6 (Marcus Stoinis 45, Josh Inglis 37, Mark Adair 2/44) vs Ireland 115 (George Dockrell 41, Nathan Ellis 4/12) 

The BBL 2025 Challenger between Sydney Sixers and Hobart Hurricanes will take place at Sydney Cricket Ground in Sydney on Friday. The Sydney Sixers lost the qualifier match by 48 runs against the Perth Scorchers, failing to chase down the target of 148 runs. They have one more chance to reach the finals via the Challenger, though their batting lineup needs serious improvement after being dismissed for just 99.

On the other hand, the Hobart Hurricanes won the Knockout match by 3 runs against the Melbourne Stars and booked their spot for the Challenger. The return of Nathan Ellis to the Hurricanes after missing the Knockout is a major plus. When they team up with Riley Meredith, their attack gains a lot of pace and bounce, and they have already taken 25 wickets this season.

Also Read: BBL 2025-26 Challenger: HUR vs STA head-to-head, pitch report & predicted playing XIs

SIX vs HUR Match Details

• Match: Sydney Sixers vs Hobart Hurricanes, Challenger 

• Date: 23rd January 2026

• Time: 1.45 PM IST

• Venue: Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney 

• Live Streaming: FanCode

SIX vs HUR Weather Report

SIX vs HUR Pitch Report

The Sydney Cricket Ground should offer a balanced competition. At the beginning, there could be some movement in the air and some assistance from the surface under lights.

Top Batters to Watch – SIX vs HUR

• Nikhil Chaudhary (HUR): 303 runs in this tournament

• Ben McDermott (HUR): 282 runs in this tournament 

• Josh Philippe (SIX): 253 runs in this tournament 

Top Bowlers to Watch – SIX vs HUR

• Jack Edwards (SIX): 17 wickets in this tournament 

• Rishad Hossain (HUR): 13 wickets in this tournament 

• Ben Dwarshuis (SIX): 13 wickets in this tournament 

SIX vs HUR Recent Form

SIX vs HUR Today Match Prediction Scenarios

Scenario 1: If HUR Bat First

• Powerplay Score: 40–45

• Predicted Total: 165–170

• Match Result: SIX to win

Scenario 2: If HUR bats first

• Powerplay Score: 45–50

• Predicted Total: 175–185

• Match Result: SIX to win

Who Will Hit the Most Sixes?

Who Will Hit the Most Fours?

SIX vs HUR Predicted Playing XIs

Hobart Hurricanes 

Mitchell Owen, Tim Ward, Beau Webster, Ben McDermott(c), Nikhil Chaudhary, Matthew Wade(w), Mac Wright, Chris Jordan, Jackson Bird, Rishad Hossain, Riley Meredith.

Sydney Sixers

Daniel Hughes, Steve Smith, Josh Philippe(w), Moises Henriques(c), Lachlan Shaw, Jack Edwards, Joel Davies, Ben Dwarshuis, Sean Abbott, Mitchell Starc, Ben Manenti

SIX vs HUR Today Match Prediction – Who Will Win Today?

Based on current form, team balance, and superior bowling strength, the Sydney Sixers are the favourites to win this BBL match. Mitchell Owen, Tim Ward and Beau Webster are expected to be the key performers.

SIX vs HUR Match FAQs

The Hobart Hurricanes and Brisbane Heat will meet in Match 35 of the BBL 2025 – 26 on Wednesday, 14 January at Ninja Stadium in Hobart. The Hobart Hurricanes are currently sitting atop the BBL table and have already qualified for the next stage of the competition. As such, they may use this opportunity to test their depth and try out different line-ups and combinations, but their objective will be to maintain their recent form going into the final stages of the tournament.

Hobart, led by Nathan Ellis, would like to perform well once again as consistency will be critical as the BBL season progresses into the playoffs. On the other hand, the Brisbane Heat continue to have a mixed bag of results filled with inconsistency; however, a win over Hobart would place Brisbane in fourth place with a total of 10 points. Brisbane are expected to be aggressive in their efforts to secure the win and not leave anything to chance.

See Also: Know the Time & Date: Phase 2 T20 World Cup 2026 Tickets to open today

BBL 2025-26, Match 35, HUR vs HEA: Live Streaming Details

BBL 2025-26, Match 35, HUR vs HEA: Probable Playing XI

Hobart Hurricanes

Mitchell Owen, Tim Ward, Beau Webster, Ben McDermott, Nikhil Chaudhary, Matthew Wade (WK), Rehan Ahmed, Chris Jordan, Rishad Hossain, Riley Meredith, Nathan Ellis (C)

Brisbane Heat

Usman Khawaja (C), Jack Wildermuth, Nathan McSweeney, Marnus Labuschagne, Matt Renshaw, Michael Neser, Jimmy Peirson (WK), Xavier Bartlett, Matthew Kuhnemann, Tom Balkin, Zaman Khan

Australia skipper Mitchell Marsh introduced the right bowler against Shivam Dube. For the Australia vs India 4th T20I (AUS vs IND 4th T20I), the Indian team management sent Dube out in the park as the number 3 batter, which was his unusual position. The all-rounder was just about to settle down on the track when Australian pacer Nathan Ellis dismantled the timbers with a slower delivery. 

Just a few balls ago, before losing the wicket, Dube smashed spinner Adam Zampa for the six. The ball went out of the stadium. But as soon as Marsh put Nathan Ellis, a pacer, into the attack, the left-handed all-rounder was exposed. 

During the third ball of the 12th over of the first innings, Ellis took off most of the pace from the delivery and guided it towards the leg stump. Dube tried to push the ball towards the leg side, using the pace, but he proved absolutely wrong as the ball had barely any pace and hardly enough room for the southpaw to use his wrists. The ball sneaks past the inside edge, clips him on the thigh pad of the back leg and deflects onto the stumps. Dube heads back to the dugout after scoring 22 from 18 balls.

Read More: WATCH: PM Narendra Modi surprise to hear this question from Women's World Cup 2025 winning team India star Harleen Deol

Shivam Dube clean bowled in AUS vs IND 4th T20I 

With Abhishek Sharma (28) and Shubman Gill, Team India got a flying start at the Heritage Bank Stadium. Both of the batters played some aggressive shots to set a foundation for a big score. In the opening pair, Team India put on a fifty-plus run partnership. 

After the departure of Sharma, Team India was struggling to maintain momentum in the middle overs. With a boundary and an over-boundary, Dube was looking promising, but he was not able to score impressive runs.

Nathan Ellis once again provided a crucial breakthrough for Australia, while the visitors India were moving on top in the 180+ chase in the third T20I of the five-match series at Hobart, as the Aussie pacer dismissed Axar Patel with another top bouncer, while Xavier Bartlett took a stunning catch. 

While India were chasing down the 187-run target to level the series, they lost their third wicket at 76 runs in the eighth over, as Axar Patel came to the crease. With Tilak Verma, Axar set a crucial 35-run partnership for the fourth wicket. While India were dominating with 111/3 in 11 overs, Nathan Ellis, the bowler of the night for Australia, produced another crucial breakthrough by dismissing Axar. 

[WATCH] Abhishek Sharma opens account with 6 during AUS vs IND 3rd T20I in Hobart

Xavier Bartlett took stunning catch to dismiss Axar Patel

It was another well-directed short delivery, which cramped Axar, as the left-handed batter went for an uncontrolled pull shot with his top edge. While Xavier Bartlett was fielding at midwicket, he had to run forward for the catch and timely grabbed the ball, which was just going down. It was a brilliant catch on an outstanding delivery, as Axar was dismissed for 17 runs off 12 balls, where he hit one four. 

Xavier Bartlett that is a phenomenal catch! #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/SgRYuZ5mGO

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) November 2, 2025

India won by 5 wickets

Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav chose to field first, as Australia scored 186/6 in 20 overs. As the boundaries were small, India would be happy with the target. Arshdeep Singh (3/35) and Varun Chakravarthy (2/33) were the top Indian bowlers, while Tim David (74) and Marcus Stoinis (64) played crucial roles in the Aussie innings.

Meanwhile, India comfortably chased down the target in 18.3 overs after losing five wickets. While all Indian batters made some impacts in that chase, Washington Sundar played a memorable knock of 49 not out off 23 balls with three fours and four sixes. Nathan Ellis was the best bowler for Australia on the night (4-0-36-3), but he didn't get enough support from the other bowlers.  

As Australia captain Mitchell Marsh won the toss at the Adelaide Oval, he elected to bowl first against India in the second ODI of the series. Australia currently has a 1-0 lead in the three-match series and have made three changes to their playing XI, whilst India has once again elected to stick with the same XI, despite suffering a crushing loss in the first ODI at Perth.

Australia have replaced Josh Philippe, Matthew Kuhnemann and Nathan Ellis with Alex Carey, Adam Zampa and Xavier Bartlett, respectively. Carey's inclusion brings further depth into the middle order, and experience behind the stumps after a good stint for South Australia in the Sheffield Shield. Zampa bolsters their spin options, and Bartlett takes the place of Ellis whilst adding a little extra pace to the mix.

Australia's pace attack has a big boost with Bartlett, as India look to square the series

The omission of Nathan Ellis raised a few eyebrows, especially given the reasonable pickup he had in Perth – he bowled a couple of brilliant deliveries which had ending Gill's innings, as well as taking 1/29 off five overs. However, Bartlett is in line with the Australian mindset and tactic thinking. Bartlett is renowned for his ability to swing the new ball and working to fuller lengths, both aspects that can translate positively on the Adelaide surface. His tall height and skillset can create an uncomfortable state for the Indian top order, who struggled against pace and bounce in the 1st ODI. 

ALSO SEE: McGrath, Gillespie, Fleming share their favourite Indian fast bowlers

Another reason for a change in pace bowling is Australia's rotating squad policy. They have several pacers like Pat Cummins, Lance Morris, Jhye Richardson and Ben Dwarshuis on the recovery from injury, and the management are being conservative  in terms of load management. Ellis is also a member of Australia's T20I squad for the upcoming series against India, therefore he is being managed for the shorter format where his ability will be more viable at the death.

There were no changes to India's playing XI after the loss. The experienced top order of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Shubman Gill are once again expected to set the tone, and keep the side alive in the series. 

With cool conditions and early movement anticipated, Australia's choice to bowl first may pay off. India, on the other hand, will hope to counter early swing and post a competitive score on a ground that is generally a high scoring one.

Playing XIs:
Australia: Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh (c), Matthew Short, Matt Renshaw, Alex Carey (wk), Cooper Connolly, Mitchell Owen, Xavier Bartlett, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood.
India: Shubman Gill (c), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (vc), KL Rahul (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh.

Australia got off to a great start in the India vs Australia 1st ODI 2025 at Optus Stadium, Perth, having won the toss and deciding to bowl first. The home seamers imposed immediate pressure on India with simple and disciplined bowling. Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc struck in back-to-back overs, dismissing star batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to leave India in trouble at the end of the powerplay.

The surface at Perth offered quick bounce and seam movement and Hazlewood and Starc exploited the conditions perfectly. They maintained excellent control, not allowing the Indian top order to settle. With both openers back in the shed early, the visitors were forced into a defensive mode in the face of the continued dominance of the hosts in the early exchanges. 

The highlight of the innings came when Australian captain Mitchell Marsh brought on Nathan Ellis. The decision turned out to be a masterstroke, as Ellis struck with his very first delivery. He dismissed Shubman Gill (10 off 18) with a good-length delivery angling down the leg side. Gill tried to glance it fine but got a faint edge, and Josh Philippe completed a sharp catch behind the stumps. The dismissal left India reeling at 25/3 in the ninth over.

India vs Australia 1st ODI: India in Trouble After Top-Order Collapse

As of this writing, India is 25/3 in the ninth over, with Shreyas Iyer & Axar Patel at the crease, looking to rebuild the innings after the top-order failure put enormous pressure on India’s middle order in tough conditions.

Watch the video here

Gill wicket

Taken by nathan ellis pic.twitter.com/AYRSd2P2P0

— SmithianEra (@Trexsnyder2345) October 19, 2025

See Also: [WATCH] "Played most game..."- Virat Kohli eliminates game time concern in exclusive interview ahead of AUS vs IND 1st ODI

With light rain and strong winds creating additional challenges, the Australian pacers have been relentless. The Australian pacers have control and movement and were able to take advantage of the Perth pitch to keep the Indian batters guessing. They were able to make early breakthroughs, including Ellis capturing the wicket of Gill, giving Australia the upper hand in the first ODI of the series.

On the eve of their T20I series against New Zealand, Australia have copped a major blow, with star all-rounder Glenn Maxwell ruled out with a right wrist fracture sustained in a training session in Mount Maunganui. 

The injury happened in the nets when Maxwell was rolling his arm over to Mitchell Owen, who smashed a ball straight back at Maxwell, hitting him flush on the wrist while the 36-year-old was in extreme pain. Maxwell withdrew from training, where he was later ruled out of the three-match series that commences Wednesday at Bay Oval. 

Teammate Matthew Short, who witnessed the incident, said it was a bad hit. “I just saw it out of the corner of my eye. Owen smoked it, then the aftermath was the ball hit maxi on the wrist. It didn’t sound good,” Short told cricket.com.au. “He’s done injuries before, he was disappointed but he’ll be fine.”

Cricket Australia announced that Maxwell will return home and consult a specialist in the next few days. The indication is he may recover in time for the Big Bash League in December, however his availability for the upcoming T20I series against India later this month, is still very much up in the air.

Another injury in an already injury hit period

With Maxwell unavailable, it only adds to Australia’s concerns, after already losing Josh Inglis with a calf injury, leading to Alex Carey being brought back into the fold. Australia also are without Cameron Green, who has turned his attention to Sheffield Shield cricket, ahead of the Ashes. Pat Cummins has been given some time off due to his ongoing lower back complaints, and Nathan Ellis, who is going to miss a couple of games because he stayed at home as his wife was having their first baby.

In recent years, Maxwell has been on the end of some unfortunate injuries, including a freak leg fracture whilst at a birthday party in 2022 and suffering a concussion after falling from a golf cart during the 2023 World Cup, However, he remained an integral part of Australia’s white ball setup, and had only a few weeks ago, contributed in an important role against South Africa.

ALSO SEE: Asia Cup 2025 Trophy Standoff: Mohsin Naqvi Holds Trophy in Dubai Hotel, BCCI Demands Immediate Handover

Philippe earns surprise recall

Selectors have named Josh Philippe, the wicketkeeper-batter for the Sydney Sixers, to replace the absent Maxwell. Philippe has not played for Australia since last December and has earned his recall after performing well on the recent Australia A tour of India, where he scored a century in the unofficial Tests.

While Abbotsford is a backup wicketkeeping option along with Carey, Philippe adds depth to the batting group. His international T20 record is not overly impressive to this point–150 runs in 12 innings at an average of 12.5. This series offers Philippe an outstanding chance to resurrect his T20I career and solidify a place for next year’s T20 World Cup.

Updated Australia squad for NZ T20Is

Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Alex Carey, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Matt Kuhnemann, Mitchell Owen, Josh Philippe, Matthew Short, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa