After 45 matches, adventures and drama, the World Cup has entered in its decisive phase. As the semi-final approaches, the qualification scenario is getting complicated, and it seems a few big upsets are in the offing. West Indies is leading the chart of Super 8 group 1 and with two straight wins England has already qualified for the semis. As of now all of the other seven teams are in the race and India’s path towards the semis looks complicated.
Let’s look at the qualification scenarios for each team:
India - After losing the first match by 76 runs, India has made their qualification scenario complicated. Now, India needs to win their next two matches with big margins to surpass the net run rate of South Africa. India’s current net run rate is -3.800, which is too big to change. If India has to qualify, South Africa and Zimbabwe will need to lose one of their two matches.
South Africa- Defeating India South they are in a good position and they just need to carry forward the momentum to qualify for the semis. South Africa has a very good net run rate and other than winning they don’t need to care much about other aspects.
West Indies- West Indies has emerged as one of the finest teams of the World Cup, they have found the right momentum at the right moment. They have defeated Zimbabwe by a very big margin. Just like South Africa they just need to carry forward the momentum to win the semis.
Zimbabwe- Zimbabwe almost outplayed every other team that came in front of them but in their last match they lost the momentum and with that, they were almost disqualified from the big stage. For qualification, they need to win their last two matches with a very big margin and have to win one match by 100 runs or more.
Pakistan- Their first match against New Zealand has been washed out due to rain and now they have been defeated by England. With just one point in two matches, Pakistan’s journey towards the semi looks fade. Pakistan has to win their last match and also have to rely on others and have to expect that they lose one of their last matches.
New Zealand- With one point in one match they are all set to play their next match against challenging Sri Lanka on the eve of Wednesday. For them the scenario is simple: if they win they will make their spot in the semi’s strong, there is no other way out left for them.
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Sri Lanka- If they win their last two matches they will have four points till the end of the match and if they lose their journey in the world cup will be finished for this edition. Not only do they have to rely on New Zealand, but they also have to expect to lose at least one match.
As England qualified for the semis, which team is taking the lead in the matchups and staying in the run of qualification? It will be a key thing to have an eye on and it is expected the T20 World Cup is going to show an adventurous dance till the end.
