Afghanistan team leader Rashid Khan Already made a fearless set 2026 T20 World Cuppredictions include sharp tactical attack on Australia pacers Pat Cummins. With the tournament set to kick off on February 7, Rashid’s comments set the tone for a high-octane battle between the subcontinent’s underdogs and football’s established powers.

Rashid Khan creates buzz with mocking of Pat Cummins in 2026 T20 World Cup semi-final predictions

In an exclusive interview with Sports Tak on January 30, Rashid was asked to name the four semi-finalists for the upcoming World Cup. Rashid deliberately left Australia out of his squad, a move that immediately went viral and was a direct rebuttal to Pat Cummins’ famous comments in the 2024 edition.

“Do you remember the last World Cup in 2024? There was an interview where someone listed the name of one team and asked to add three other teams,” Rashid was quoted as saying by Sportskeeda.

At the time, when Cummins was asked to name his top four teams, he famously responded: “Definitely Australia and then you can pick whichever one (the other three) you want… I don’t care. You can choose.” Rashid reflected this indifference in his 2026 predictions, deliberately excluding Australians. His subtle “sarcasm” reflected the growing confidence of the Afghan side, which has notoriously hit the Afghan side Australia Withdrew from the 2024 tournament and reached the semi-finals for the first time.

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Rashid Khan’s predictions for T20 World Cup 2026 semi-finals

Rashid named four teams he believes have the best winning players and tactical depth to handle the 55-game tournament. he predicted India, Afghanistan, South Africa and England Will be the ones who make it to the final four. He pointed out that India, as the defending champion, Suryakumar Yadavare home favorites and he remains confident in his team’s ability to dominate bigger teams. He also highlighted South Africa as a lock to qualify from the group and praised England as a team that always performs well under pressure. Rashid emphasized that while the team cherishes its historic performance in 2024, they are focused on the competitive nature of the current game and that any team can win under any circumstances.

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