West Indies Join Three-Way Battle for Semifinals in T20 WC 2024

West Indies Join Three-Way Battle for Semifinals in T20 WC 2024

If both lose, West Indies, England, and The USA will each have two points but the highest net run rate will proceed to the next level

The West Indies cruised past the USA which has made the group quite exciting. Now three teams are very likely to reach the semifinals. Here is how the situation stands before the final games are played.

South Africa: 

South Africa has not lost any games in the tournament so far. However, if they lose to the West Indies in the final Super 8 match, they might still be out. If they win or if the match has no result, they will reach the semifinals no matter what. If South Africa loses in a Super Over and England wins against the USA by ten runs or more (assuming the first team scores 160), South Africa could be eliminated.

West Indies and England:

Each team has scored one victory and one defeat. The West Indies have a higher Net Run Rate (NRR) than England but the USA is an easier team to play against compared to England. If both triumph in the final matches, then, South Africa, West Indies, and England will have four points. If the NRR of England is higher than that of South Africa after the first match, then the second match between South Africa and WI will determine which team will go to the semi-finals. If one group triumphs and the other falls short, the winner progresses to the semi-finals while the loser is eliminated. If both lose, West Indies, England, and the USA will each have two points but the highest net run rate will proceed to the next level

United States of America:

Making it to the Super 8 stage can be attributed to the great effort exhibited by the USA team. But they struggled to face and challenge the powerful sides like South Africa and West Indies weeding out. Nonetheless for them, they still stand a small probability of getting through to the next round. For this to happen, Sri Lanka needs to post a target of 80 runs against England in their next game. Second, they require a 67-run victory for South Africa over West Indies if the side that goes to bat posts 160. That’s a concern and indeed for the USA team, many things have to align well if they are to progress to the next round of the tournament.