Australia’s victory over Sri Lanka in their second Super 12 match has preserved their chances of making it to the semifinals.
Six teams are vying for two spots in the final four of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022, and there is everything to play for in Group 1. We examine the current situation and the condition of play.
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Who has the best chance of making it to the semi-finals?
The only unbeaten teams in Group 1 so far are New Zealand and England, with the top two competing in their second Super 12 stage games on Wednesday in Melbourne.
The 89-run victory over Australia by New Zealand has given them a significant advantage in the Net Run Rate column as well. If they do not suffer a humiliating loss in one of the final four games, a NET RR of +4.450 is virtually equivalent to an additional point.
The games England would have identified before the tournament as crucial are still to come, despite the fact that their steady start against Afghanistan has got them off to a good start.
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The start of Australia’s comeback
Australia was in a precarious situation as a result of the crushing loss they suffered to New Zealand in their opening group game, as well as the effect it had on NRR.
The hosts of the competition are aware that they cannot afford to lose any more games. Although two losses don’t mathematically eliminate a team’s prospects of qualifying, it will probably take a lot of luck for them to do so with only three victories in the Super 12 stage.
And considering Australia’s negative net run rate, that is, even more, the case for that country.
With an NRR of -1.555 after two games, the Australians will need at least one, ideally two, significant victories in the remaining games to try to eliminate that possibility from their qualification chances.
The victory over Sri Lanka in Perth on Tuesday enhanced the odds of a successful championship defense, particularly because Marcus Stoinis’ late run-spurt enabled them to reach the goal with more than three overs remaining and, in doing so, reduce some of the NRR gap.
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Important Upcoming Games
England vs. Australia on Friday, October 28
There aren’t many things bigger than this. Any encounter between Australia and England is significant, but this tournament’s most important match is going to take place at the MCG.
Recent outcomes don’t seem well for the home team. But the competition, England won the warm-up series in Australia 2-0, and it appeared that they would win the entire series before rain stopped the third and final game in Canberra.
Furthermore, Australia has only triumphed once in the previous seven completed men’s T20I matches between these two countries.
When these teams faced off in the Group Stage of the most recent T20 World Cup, England was guided to a resounding victory by Jos Buttler thanks to Australia being bowled out for 125 runs and England completing the chase in just 11.4 overs.
