T20 World Cup: Qualification scenario explained for India, Pakistan & other Group 2 teams

Pakistan's win over South Africa in the T20 World Cup on Thursday means that Group 2 is still wide open with as many as five teams still having a mathematical chance of progressing to the semi-finals. The only team that cannot progress to the knockout stages is Afghanistan, who have only managed to score two points after four games. Following the Pakistan vs South Africa clash, here is a look at the qualification scenario for Group 2 teams.

Qualification scenario for Group 2 teams

Team India

Team India's qualification hopes for the T20 World Cup 2022 semi-finals lie in their hands as they only need a win in their last game against Zimbabwe to qualify for the knockout stages as Group 2 winners. The India vs Zimbabwe clash will take place live at 1:30 PM IST on Sunday, November 6.

South Africa

Similarly to Team India, South Africa's hopes of qualifying for the T20 World Cup 2022 semi-finals also lie in their hands as a win against the Netherlands in their final group stage game would be enough to secure at least a top-two spot in Group 2. The South Africa vs Netherlands match will take place live at 5:30 AM IST on Sunday, November 6.

Pakistan

Even though Pakistan managed to keep their hopes alive of qualifying for the T20 World Cup 2022 semis with a crucial victory over South Africa, their destiny does not lie in their hands. If Pakistan are to progress to the knockout stages, they not only need to win their final game against Bangladesh, but they also need to hope that either India or South Africa fails to win their final group stage game.

Bangladesh

Similarly to Pakistan, Bangladesh's hopes of making it to the T20 World Cup 2022 semis also do not lie in their hands. However, unlike Pakistan, they will even have a harder task to make it through. Bangladesh will not only need to beat Pakistan and hope that either India or South Africa lose their final group-stage games but there may also be a scenario where the net run rate comes into play. Bangladesh have an NRR of just -1.276. In stark contrast, India have a decent NRR of 0.730.

Zimbabwe

As for Zimbabwe, they are virtually out of the T20 World Cup 2022 as only a miracle could see them progress. Zimbabwe will not only need to register a win in their final clash against India but they will also need to hope that South Africa lose to the Netherlands by a huge margin and the Pakistan vs Bangladesh clash gets washed out. And even if all of this were to happen, Zimbabwe will also need to ensure that they have a better NRR than South Africa, Pakistan and Bangladesh if they are to progress to the semi-finals of the tournament.