Rain has already disrupted proceedings in Sri Lanka, with two matches, including the opening Super Eights fixture between New Zealand and Pakistan, abandoned without a result. Forecasts suggest more such showers in Colombo, which might affect the remaining games that are scheduled. If additional games are washed out, the race for a semi-final spot from Group B could become extremely congested, with multiple teams finishing on the same number of points.
So how would the standings be decided in that case? The ICC has four tie-breaking criteria in place to determine the final group order.
1. Criteria number one
“The team with the greatest number of wins in its group will be placed in the higher position,” reads the ICC rulebook. However, with most teams expected with same number of points, this one stands invalid.
2. Criteria number two
“If there are teams with equal points and equal wins in their group, the team with the higher net run rate in the group stage will be placed in the higher position,” reads the ICC rulebook. However, if all matches are called off due to rain, all four teams will have the same Net Run Rate and hence, this rule stands invalid too.
3. Criteria number three
“If two or more teams are still equal, they will be ordered according to the head-to-head match played between them,” the third rule reads. However, with no team has played each other earlier, this rule won’t be counted as well.
4. Criteria number four
“If the above does not resolve the group ordering, or if all matches within a group produce no results, then the teams will be ordered as per their position on the ICC Men’s T201 Team Rankings as at 6 February 2026,” the final rule reads.
Now, this is important. If all the games are called off due to rain, the teams with the better ICC ranking will progress to the semi-finals. It means England and New Zealand, who are second and fourth, respectively, will progress, leaving out Pakistan and Sri Lanka, who are sixth and eighth, respectively.
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