ICC Men’s T20 WC 2026 | Match 39: Afghanistan vs Canada | Preview and Predictions

Afghanistan will take on Canada in Match 39 of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on February 19, 2026. 

Here, we present our preview and predictions for the game. 

ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 | Match 39: AFG vs CAN | 19:00 IST, February 19, 2026

The Afghans have given a solid account of themselves despite missing out on Super Eight qualification, having reached the semi-finals in the previous edition. However, getting through at the expense of either South Africa or New Zealand was always going to be a tall order, and despite dragging South Africa to a double Super Over finish, it wasn’t enough.

In the batting department, Rahmanullah Gurbaz leads the Afghan run-scoring chart with 111 runs, while the rest of the batting department has also stepped in when required. The likes of Ibrahim Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, and Darwish Rasooli have helped lay the foundation, with Azmatullah Omarzai coming in towards the back end to add the finishing touches.

Among the bowling options, all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai leads the chart with eight wickets in three games, while both Mujeeb Ur Rahman and skipper Rashid Khan have four wickets each. However, one of the main reasons for Afghanistan’s inability to close out games has been the lack of support from the rest of the bowlers. The likes of Mohammad Nabi, Noor Ahmad, and Fazalhaq Farooqi have been below average, which has hurt their chances, especially against established opponents.

As for their opponents, Canada are in a similar boat and won’t be going further in the tournament. Despite being put in a very tough group, the Canadian batters in particular have done exceedingly well, though it’s the lack of bite in their bowling that has given opponents an edge over them.

Among the batters, Yuvraj Samra made history against New Zealand in Match 31 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Tuesday. The 19-year-old scored a magnificent 110 off 65 deliveries, which included ten fours and six sixes, helping his side post 173/4 at the end of 20 overs. Similarly, veteran top-order batter Navneet Dhaliwal and all-rounder Harsh Thaker helped bail out the team from difficult situations in previous matches.

However, as highlighted earlier, it is the bowling unit that has let the team down in this edition of the T20 World Cup. Spin-bowling all-rounder Saad Bin Zafar leads their wicket-taking chart with four wickets, with Ansh Patel sitting in second with three. That said, the rest of the bowlers share only four wickets between them, with no one having taken more than one wicket.

In terms of weather forecast and pitch report, expect conditions to be clear throughout this game. As evident from the five games played here, the Chepauk surface offers a balanced contest, though batting is slightly more fruitful here, considering the lowest score so far has been 173, with the highest being 199. Moreover, there’s a fairly even split, with three teams winning batting second and two winning after setting a target. With this being an evening game, the team winning the toss may look to bowl first.  

Looking ahead to this fixture, with both teams already knocked out of the competition, they’ll be playing more for pride than anything else. The Afghans, although disappointed, will still look to end their campaign on a high, while Canada will look to exploit any complacency in this dejected Afghan side.

That said, considering the strength of both these teams on paper, we’re backing Rashid Khan and Co to end their campaign on a winning note. 

Fantasy XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Yuvraj Samra, Ibrahim Zadran (c), Dilpreet Bajwa, Siddiqullah Atal, Navneet Dhaliwal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai (vc), Dilon Heyliger, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman 

Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai 
Winners Prediction: Afghanistan