T20 World Cup: How can England overtake Australia, NZ on points table & qualify for semis

Australia on Friday played their final Super 12 match of the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022 against Afghanistan. Australia beat Afghanistan by 4 runs to move to the second spot in Group 1 points table. Australia now have seven points from five matches and are tied with New Zealand in the points table. However, New Zealand have a far superior net run rate and have already qualified for the semi-finals. Australia will now have to wait for the result of the England vs Sri Lanka game to see if they can still make it to the semis. 

Here's how England can overtake Australia in the points table

England have a far superior net run rate than Australia, which is another contender from Group 1 for a spot in the semi-finals. All England have to do to qualify for the next stage of the T20 World Cup 2022 is to beat Sri Lanka in their final Super 12 match at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Saturday. If England can manage to win their game against Sri Lanka, they will advance to the semis along with New Zealand from Group 1. However, if England lose the crucial match, Australia will qualify for the semi-finals. 

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Australia needed big wins against Ireland and Afghanistan to qualify for the semis but the home side could only manage to do it against the former. When Afghanistan went past the 118-run mark in their encounter against Australia on Friday, it made sure that any margin of victory for England in their next match would be enough for them to make it to the semis. Meanwhile, if England can manage to win their match against Sri Lanka by 125 runs or more, they would finish on top of the Group 1 points table ahead of New Zealand. 

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka, Ireland, and Afghanistan have lost all hopes to make it to the semis of the ongoing T20 World Cup. While Ireland and Afghanistan have 3 and 2 points respectively from five matches each, Sri Lanka have four points from as many games. They can no longer qualify for the next stage of the tournament. 

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ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022: Group 1 Points Table

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