T20 World Cup 2022, Group 2 Semi-final Scenario: India Seal Semis Spot as South Africa Choke; Pakistan vs Bangladesh a Virtual Quarter-final
In a stunning turn of events, the pre-tournament favourites South Africa lost to the Netherlands by 13 runs in the final Group 2 league match thus getting themselves knocked out of the race for the semi-finals. With this India are through to the semi-final even before they take the field at the Melbourne Cricket Ground for their final league game against Zimbabwe later in the day.
A win against Zimbabwe will ensure that India will top their group and play England in the second semi-final on 10th November at the Adelaide Oval, Adelaide.
South Africa’s loss also means that both Pakistan and Bangladesh have a chance to overtake South Africa in the points table with a win their lat league game – incidentally, Pakistan and Bangladesh are playing each other at the Adelaide Oval, in the second match of the day with everything to paly for. A win will ensure a semi-final spot for either team.
India have so far played four matches claiming three wins and enduring one loss (vs South Africa) and are at 6 points. Here are the remaining scenarios for Group 2
Scenario – 1
If India beat Zimbabwe they will finish the league at the top team in their group and the winner of the Pakistan vs Bangladesh game will take the second qualification spot
Scenario – 2
If India vs Zimbabwe game is washed out, both teams will split points and India will finish wth 7 points and again will top the standings in their group. The winner of Pakistan vs Bangladesh game will take the second qualification spot
Scenario – 3
Suppose Pakistan beat Bangladesh and India gets defeated by Zimbabwe. In that case, India and Pakistan will end up having 6 points each and the position of the semifinalists will be decided on the basis of NRR.
Scenario – 4
Suppose Pakistan lose to Bangladesh and India lose to Zimbabwe, then India and Bangladesh will end up having 6 points each and the position of the semifinalists will be decided on the basis of NRR.
Earlier, The T20 World Cup 2022 found its second semi-finalist from Group 1 on Saturday. After defeating Sri Lanka by 4 wickets, England settled 2nd on the table with 7 points. Their victory led to the elimination of defending champions Australia on the basis of a superior Net Run Rate (NRR). All the top three teams in Group 1 ended the Super 12 round with 7 points each in their respective kitties. New Zealand topped with a NRR of +2.113 (highest across groups) while England’s NRR of +0.473 helped them edge past Australia (-0.173).
