ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Warm-up Matches: Day 1 Wrap and Schedule

Introduction: Why the warm-up matches matter

The icc men’s t20 world cup warm-up matches provide teams a final chance to test combinations, assess form and finalise squads before the main tournament. With fixtures across Bengaluru, Chennai and Colombo, these short-format games are relevant for players returning from injury, fringe players pushing for selection and fans tracking momentum into the World Cup.

Main body: Results, performances and schedule highlights

Day 1 summary and notable performances

The opening warm-up fixture in Bengaluru saw Afghanistan complete a 61-run win over Scotland, a result that served as a strong final tune-up for the Afghan side. The United States produced a brilliant batting display to defeat India A in another early warm-up fixture at the same venue. Italy edged Canada by 10 runs, with Ali Hasan taking an important catch to dismiss Canada’s Nicholas Kirton and help seal the win.

One returning India batter, cleared recently by the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE), hit a quick 24-ball 38 in warm-up action. He is due to play further warm-up games against the USA and South Africa on 4 February before heading into the World Cup.

Venues and selected fixtures

Warm-up fixtures are being staged across multiple venues, including the BCCI Centre of Excellence grounds in Bengaluru, grounds in Chennai and several venues in Colombo (Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, R. Premadasa Stadium and Colombo Cricket Club Ground). Scheduled and listed matches include encounters such as Australia vs Netherlands, New Zealand vs United States of America, Ireland vs Pakistan, India vs South Africa, Oman vs Zimbabwe, India A vs Namibia, and Italy vs United Arab Emirates among others, with many fixtures set in the first week of February 2026.

Conclusion: What to expect and significance for fans

The warm-up phase will remain important over the next days as teams finalise roles and assess match readiness. Early results — Afghanistan’s convincing win, the USA’s batting display and Italy’s narrow victory over Canada — offer early indicators but should be read cautiously: warm-ups are for experimentation. Fans should watch the remaining scheduled fixtures across Bengaluru, Chennai and Colombo to see which players press their claims for World Cup selection and who builds momentum heading into the tournament proper.