Darren Lehmann takes cheeky dig at Jason Gillespie over bold T20 World Cup prediction

The 2026 T20 World Cup, set to be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8, is already stirring conversations—and a little banter—among cricket legends.

Former Australian player Darren Lehmann recently took a playful dig at former all-rounder and Pakistan’s red-ball head coach Jason Gillespie over his bold prediction for the upcoming tournament.

During a Q&A session on social media platform X, a fan asked Gillespie for a daring 2026 T20 World Cup prediction. The former Aussie replied, “Afghanistan will make the World T20 final.”

Lehmann responded to Gillespie’s forecast with humor, tweeting: “I love ya Dizz, but they won’t and won’t even get close.”

It is pertinent to mention that Afghanistan’s T20 credentials have been on the rise, following an impressive campaign in the 2024 T20 World Cup co-hosted by the USA and West Indies.

Led by Rashid Khan, the team reached the semi-finals for the first time after strong group-stage performances, including victories over Uganda, New Zealand and PNG.

However, they were eventually defeated by South Africa in the semi-final, bundled out for 56 runs as the Proteas chased the total in just 8.5 overs.

For the unversed, the 2026 T20 World Cup sees Afghanistan placed in Group D alongside New Zealand, South Africa, Canada and the UAE.

The team will face the Blackcaps in Chennai on February 8, followed by their second match of the tournament against South Africa in Ahmedabad on February 11.

Afghanistan will then take on the UAE in their third group-stage match in Delhi on February 16, while their final group match will be against Canada in Chennai on February 19.

Afghanistan squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup:

Rashid Khan (c), Ibrahim Zadran (vc), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Mohammad Ishaq (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Shahidullah Kamal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Abdullah Ahmadzai.

Reserves: AM Ghazanfar, Ijaz Ahmadzai and Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi.