We have reached the final stage of the ongoing T20 World Cup in Dubai. After a long tournament, the top 2 teams from both the groups have secured their place in the T20 World Cup Semi-Finals. In group 1, England with 8 points and Australia with 8 points each made it to the qualifiers. Meanwhile in group 2, Pakistan, the only unbeaten team in this tournament, long secured its place. The team has 10 points with 5 wins. New Zealand on the other hand with 8 points slipped easily in the semis.
The fixtures
These four teams are just 2 wins away from being crowned as the T20 champions. 4 teams will go against each other and the 2 winners will fight in the finale for the trophy. The T20 World Cup Semi-Finals matches will start at 6:00 pm local time. Semi-Final 1 – England vs New Zealand at Abu Dhabi, 10 November. Semi-Final 2 – Australia vs Pakistan at Dubai, 11 November.
The final four
In the long-fought battle of the Super 12, every team tried their best to win and secure the top 2 spots in their respective groups but only the best wins. With an amazing display of intent and gameplay, Pakistan, New Zealand, England and Australia rewarded themselves with the top spots.
Group 1 came down to the wire, with the top two teams having to wait until the last match, England vs South Africa. Both England and Australia won four of their five group games, with England claiming the top spot based on net run rate. South Africa won four games in the group as well but fell short on the net run rate.
Pakistan is the only one of the four teams that have not lost a game. They won all of their Group 2 games, while New Zealand won four of their five, sealing their spot in the top two with a victory over Afghanistan in their final encounter.
Reserve Day
Just like any other ICC tournaments, this one also has a spare day in reserve. Every attempt will be made to complete the match on the planned day, with any necessary overs reductions. The match will be completed on the reserve day only if the minimum number of overs required to constitute a match (at least 5 overs on each side) cannot be bowled on the scheduled day. If a match begins on the planned day and overs are decreased as a result of an interruption, but no further play is allowed, the match will restart on the reserve day at the point where the last ball was played.
What happens in the case of a tie?
Super over to the rescue. In case any of the two semi-finals ends in a tie, the results of the game will be decided by super over. If the Super Over is a tie, then subsequent Super Overs shall be played until there is a winner. Unless exceptional circumstances arise, there shall be an unlimited number of Super Overs played to achieve a result. If, after a tie, weather conditions prohibit the Super Over from being completed, or if the match is abandoned or there is no result, the team that finished first in its Super 12s Group advances to the final.
Teams and their tournament journey
England
- ICC Rankings : 1
- Squad – Eoin Morgan (c), Moeen Ali, Jonathan Bairstow, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Reece Topley.
- Road to semis- England dominated the first few games of the Super 12. Jos Buttler scored the World Cup’s first century. However, Tymal Mills and Jason Roy were injured in their last two games. This will jeopardise their balance in the semi-final.
Australia
- ICC Rankings : 6
- Squad – Aaron Finch (c), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa
- Road to semis – Australia started badly and was easily beaten by England. They fought back strongly with significant wins over Bangladesh and the West Indies. Consequently, increasing their NRR. Aaron Finch and David Warner have been in terrific form, their powerful pace attack has been incisive, and spinner Adam Zampa has struck frequently in the middle overs.
Pakistan
- ICC Rankings : 2
- Squad – Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shoaib Malik.
- Road to semis – Pakistan has gone undefeated in the Super 12s, with their batting and bowling working in harmony. They have been the one team for which the coin toss has not played a significant role. Putting up high totals even when batting first. Every match a new player steps for the team when needed. This has been their biggest strength.
New Zealand
- ICC Rankings : 4
- Squad – Kane Williamson (c), Todd Astle, Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway (wk), Adam Milne, Martin Guptill, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert (wk), Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee.
- Road to semis – After losing to Pakistan, New Zealand won four games in a row. They’ve been consistent throughout, able to pace their game and apply pressure to their opponents as needed. Their bowlers, led by Trent Boult and Tim Southee, have been outstanding. Martin Guptill has delivered one of the tournament’s best performances.
All the 4 teams have displayed their best performance. Therefore, in this battle of best vs best it will definitely be intriguing to watch who outplays whom.
