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Phil poured “salt” in the wounds of Sri Lanka’s chances of a first-place finish in their Super 8 T20 Cricket World Cup Group.
The 2026 T20 Men’s Cricket World Cup had a Super 8 double-header on February 22nd, 2026.
Early on February 22nd, before the Super 8 double-header, the 2026 Winter Olympics wrapped up their final events. Team USA’s Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils put the final nail in the coffin of Team Canada’s gold medal hopes by scoring an overtime goal to win USA’s third-ever gold medal in men’s hockey.
The MLB is warming up while the NBA is nearing the end of its season. Not to mention that the NHL will be kicking into high gear for the upcoming trade deadline at the beginning of March.
Now, the Super 8s are in full swing, and the February 22nd matches did not disappoint.
Jasprit Bumrah Delivers His Best T20 Cricket Bowling Performance
GettyJasprit Bumrah put up a valiant performance for India against South Africa in their first Super 8 match of the T20 Cricket World Cup.
The most surprising match result was actually the second match: South Africa vs India. India are the reigning 2024 World Cup Champions, so they were given the slight edge heading into the February 22nd contest.
Needless to say, South Africa didn’t get the memo. India lost the toss and had to chase 187 runs when they stepped up to bat. Sadly, they only mustered up 111 runs before they were bowled out on wickets.
Despite not having the firepower to finish off South Africa, bowler Jasprit Bumrah was shining bright with his performance. In four overs, Bumrah finished with 3/15, earning a 3.75 Economy.
Bumrah was the only India bowler with a sub-7.00 Economy in the loss.
This was his best figure in the 2026 T20 World Cup. Prior to the match against South Africa, his best figure came against Pakistan, where he bowled 2/17 in two overs.
Bumrah’s 3/15 figure on February 22nd is the best four overs performance from a bowler for India so far this World Cup.
In four T20 World Cup matches, Bumrah has seven wickets, 69 runs against, and a stellar 5.31 Economy in 13 overs.
Phil Pours ‘Salt’ Over Sri Lanka’s First-Place Chances
GettyPhil Salt put up his best T20 Cricket World Cup performance of 2026 against Sri Lanka.
Similar to India, Sri Lanka is a favorite to reach the World Cup Final. However, they also didn’t live up to expectations with their opening Super 8 match ending in a loss.
Powering England was the bowling of Will Jacks and Adil Rashid, who hit figures of 3/22 and 2/13 respectively. None of the five bowlers for England posted an economy over 7.00.
What was even more impressive, was the performance of Phil Salt. Salt hit 62 runs off 40 balls in the lead off position. Furthermore, he swung for six 4s and two 6s. No batter from either team hit more than 30 runs.
Following the pattern set by Bumrah, Salt put together his best performance of the T20 cricket World Cup against Sri Lanka. Prior to this, Salt’s best form came against West Indies. In that match he earned 30 runs off 14 balls.
Sri Lanka now sits fourth in their Super 8 Group, with England, New Zealand, and Pakistan all possessing at least one point after one game played.
Salt will get another opportunity to show what he’s made of shortly. England’s next opponent is Pakistan on February 24th, 2026, while Sri Lanka goes against New Zealand on February 25, 2026.
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Caleb Kerney Caleb covers the NHL for Heavy.com. He has covered professional hockey since 2022, including bylines at Dobber Prospects, The Hockey Writers, and The Hockey News. More about Caleb Kerney
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