New Delhi. As the Super-8 stage of the T20 World Cup 2024 progresses, the semi-final picture is getting clearer. In Group-2 of the tournament, defending champions England and South Africa have a match on Friday. Both these teams have won one match each in the group. England beat West Indies in the Super-8 while South Africa defeated America. Whoever wins the England vs South Africa match will strengthen their claim for the semi-finals.
England champions return in style
The England team, which was in danger of getting out of the Super-8 just 4 days ago, has returned in champion style. England staked their claim for the in-form semi-finals by defeating co-hosts West Indies on Thursday. Jos Buttler’s team defeated West Indies by 8 wickets in Super-8. He won the match with 15 balls to spare.
England now top their group with 2 points (1.34 net runs). South Africa also have 2 points, but are behind England in run rate (0.90). In this Group-2, West Indies and America have already lost their matches. Group-1 has teams from India, Afghanistan, Australia and Bangladesh. The first match of Group-1 will be played between India and Afghanistan on Thursday at 8 pm.
Semi-final equation
The T20 World Cup semi-final equation is almost the same as the Super-8. That means the top-2 teams of each group will qualify for the next round (semi-finals). Each team has to play 3 matches each in the group. Whoever wins all three matches is guaranteed to play the semi-finals. A team can still play the semi-finals after winning two matches, but then the net run rate may stagnate. It is also possible that three teams in the group win two matches each. If this happens, the two teams with the better run rate will play the semi-finals.
England batsman and African bowler…
England’s batsmen performed brilliantly against West Indies. Phil Salt scored 87 runs while Jonny Bairstow played an innings of 48 runs. Captain Jos Buttler scored 25 runs. Overall, England’s batsmen are proving their form. In such a situation, the responsibility of England’s batsmen will be more in the match against South Africa. However, the pace of Kagiso Rabada, Lockie Ferguson and the spin of Keshav Maharaj will not be easy to deal with.
England: Jos Buttler (Captain), Phil Salt, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Jofra Archer, Tom Hartley, Will Jacks, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, Reece Topley, Mark Wood.
South Africa: Aiden Markram (capt), Quinton de Kock, Reza Hendricks, David Miller, Henrik Klaasen, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jensen, Keshav Maharaj, Enrique Norqua, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickleton, Gerald Coetzee, Tabreiz Shamsi, Jorn Fortune, Ottiman.
Tags: ICC T20 World Cup, T20 World Cup
First published: June 20, 2024, 14:42 IST