World T20: India Stay In The Hunt For Semi-Finals After Thrilling Bangladesh Win

India have kept their campaign alive by registering a narrow one-run win over Bangladesh and they are favorites to join New Zealand in the semi-final from Group 2. However, England’s victory over Afghanistan has made the situation in Group 1 interesting. Here are the qualifying scenarios for all the teams in the ICC World Twenty20.

Group 2 Qualifying Scenarios

New Zealand (P – 3, W – 3, Points – 6)
Matches to be played: Bangladesh (March 26)
New Zealand have become the first team to seal their spot in the knock-out games thanks to their 22-run win over Pakistan. They will be hoping to finish with a win against Bangladesh in order to seal the top spot in the group.

India (P – 3, W – 2, Points – 4)

Matches to be played: Australia (March 27)
India’s sensational one-run win over Bangladesh has kept them alive in the tournament. Their equation is simple. They must defeat Australia in their final match to seal their spot in the semi-final. However, due to the narrow victory, their net run-rate will be an issue. They must hope that Australia lose to Pakistan to make their job easier. However, if Australia defeat Pakistan, then the final league game becomes a straight shoot-out

Australia (P – 2, W – 1, Points – 2)
Matches to be played: Pakistan (March 25), India (March 27)
With India’s win over Bangladesh, Australia’s task becomes much harder. They must win both their games against Pakistan and India in order to qualify for the semi-finals. If they lose to Pakistan, they must defeat India by a massive margin to seal their spot in the semi-final.

Pakistan (P – 3, W – 1, Points – 2)
Matches to be played: Australia (March 25)
With India’s win over Bangladesh, Pakistan are more or less out of the competition. They must beat Australia by a big margin and ensure Australia beats India by a small margin to keep their slim chances alive. A loss to Australia will ensure they are eliminated.

Bangladesh (P – 3, W – 0, Points – 0)
Matches to be played: New Zealand (March 26)
Bangladesh’s narrow loss to India means they are eliminated out of the tournament. They will be looking to spoil New Zealand’s party by denying them a top spot finish. If they beat New Zealand by a big margin and either of India or Australia win their last league game, then Bangladesh can demote New Zealand to the second spot.

Group 1 Qualifying Scenarios
West Indies (P – 2, W – 2, Points – 4)
Matches to be played: South Africa (March 25), Afghanistan (March 27)

With England’s win over Afghanistan, West Indies face a crunch task against South Africa. A loss to South Africa means that their last game against Afghanistan is a must-win. A win against the Proteas will seal their spot in the semi-final. A loss to South Africa, combined with England and South Africa’s win over Sri Lanka, could put them out of the contest

England (P – 3, W – 2, Points – 4)
Matches to be played: Sri Lanka (March 26)

England had a narrow escape against Afghanistan as they kept their chances of qualifying for the semi-final alive by registering a 15-run win. However, they must defeat the 2014 champions Sri Lanka to seal their spot in the semi-final.

South Africa (P – 2, W – 1, Points – 2)
Matches to be played: West Indies (March 25), Sri Lanka (March 28)

South Africa face an uphill task against the West Indies, who are in great form. With England’s win, the pressure mounts on them. A loss to the West Indies might make their task of qualifying difficult. If they lose to the West Indies, then they must hope that Sri Lanka defeat England and that they defeat the Lankans in their final league match. Net run-rate combinations might come into the picture.

Sri Lanka (P – 2, W – 1, Points -2)
Matches to be played: England (March 26), South Africa (March 28)

With England’s win, Sri Lanka are also in the hot seat. Sri Lanka must win against both England and South Africa if they have to qualify for the semi-finals. However, a loss against England could put them out of the tournament.
Afghanistan (P – 3, W – 0, Points – 0)
Matches to be played: West Indies (March 27)

Afghanistan’s loss to England means they are eliminated from the competition. They will be hoping to spoil West Indies’ party in their last league game if they are to go out of the tournament on a high