New Delhi. As the Super-8 stage of T20 World Cup 2024 is progressing, the picture of the semi-finals is becoming clear. There is a match between defending champions England and South Africa in Group-2 of the tournament on Friday. Both these teams have won one match each in the group. England team has defeated West Indies in Super-8 while South Africa has defeated America. Whoever wins the England vs South Africa match will strengthen their claim for the semi-finals.
England returned in champion style
The England team, which was in danger of being out of the Super-8 just 4 days ago, has made a comeback in champion style. England have staked their claim for the semi-finals in form by defeating co-host West Indies on Thursday. Jos Buttler’s team defeated West Indies by 8 wickets in the Super-8. He won the match with 15 balls remaining.
England is now at first position in its group with 2 points (1.34 net runs). South Africa also has 2 points, but is behind England in run rate (0.90). West Indies and America have lost their matches in this Group-2. Group-1 has teams from India, Afghanistan, Australia and Bangladesh. The first match of Group-1 will be held between India and Afghanistan on Thursday at 8 pm.
Semi-final equation
The equation of the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup is almost the same as that of the Super-8. That means the top-2 teams of each group will qualify for the next round (semi-finals). Every team has to play 3-3 matches in the group. Whoever wins all three matches is guaranteed to play the semi-finals. A team can play the semi-finals even after winning two matches, but then the net run rate may get stuck. It is also possible that three teams in a group win two matches each. If this happens, the two teams with better run rates will play the semi-finals.
England’s batsman and African bowler…
England’s batsmen performed well against West Indies. Phil Salt scored 87 runs while Jonny Bairstow played an inning of 48 runs. Captain Jos Buttler scored 25 runs. Overall, England’s batsmen are proving their form. In such a situation, the onus will be more on England’s batsmen in the match against South Africa. However, it will not be easy to face Kagiso Rabada, Lockie Ferguson’s pace and Keshav Maharaj’s spin.
England: Jos Buttler (captain), Phil Salt, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Jofra Archer, Tom Hartley, Will Jacques, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, Reece Topley, Mark Wood.
South Africa: Aiden Markram (captain), Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Enrique Norqua, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Gerald Coetzee, Tabraiz Shamsi, Bjorn Fortuyn, Ottniel Baartman.
Tags: ICC T20 World Cup, T20 World Cup
FIRST PUBLISHED: June 20, 2024, 14:42 IST
