After England, which other teams can make T20 World Cup semi-finals
With seven matches remaining in Super 8s, the battle gets intriguing
Dubai: Captain Harry Brook led from the front with a brilliant century as England became the first team to book their place in the T20 World Cup semi-finals.
Having already swept past Sri Lanka in their opening Super 8s fixture, England continued their dominance with a tense two-wicket victory over Pakistan in Kandy on Tuesday, collecting four points from two matches in Group 2.
With England through to the last four, attention now turns to which three sides will join them.
Pakistan’s campaign, however, is hanging by a thread. After their earlier match against New Zealand in Colombo was abandoned due to rain, they have managed just one point from two games. They still have a mathematical chance, but the path is narrow. First, they must beat Sri Lanka in their final Super 8 outing. Beyond that, they need New Zealand to lose both of their remaining matches. Should New Zealand win one and lose one, the matter will be settled by net run rate, meaning Pakistan would need a superior record with both bat and ball to edge through. Any other combination of results will end their tournament. In short, Pakistan must win and rely heavily on results going their way elsewhere.
Sri Lanka’s fate hinges significantly on their Wednesday clash with New Zealand. Defeat would all but end their semi-final hopes, while victory would lift them to two points and second place in the group. They would still need to follow that up by beating Pakistan to keep their campaign alive.
A look at Group 1
In Group 1, West Indies sit top after an emphatic opening win over Zimbabwe, with South Africa level on points following their victory over India.
The path forward looks straightforward for both sides. West Indies need just one win from their two remaining matches to secure qualification, while South Africa, whose next opponents are Zimbabwe and West Indies, appear well-placed to progress.
Convincing wins over West Indies and Zimbabwe may not be enough on their own, with net run rate potentially coming into play depending on how results elsewhere unfold.
Zimbabwe, meanwhile, face an uphill battle after their heavy defeat to the West Indies left them trailing India on run rate.
To have any realistic hope of progressing, they must beat both India and South Africa, and do so convincingly.
