The race for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup semifinals is heating up as all 10 participants wrap up their group-stage matches and look to climb up the points table.
After their big win over Sri Lanka on Wednesday, India leapt up from fourth to second spot in Group A and removed the Asian champions from the reckoning.
In Group B, debutants Scotland made an early exit after losing all three games. On Sunday, they will look to upset their much higher-ranked British rivals, England, for a consolatory win in the tournament.
Hosts Bangladesh exited the tournament after losing their fourth match to South Africa on Saturday.
Fellow Asians Pakistan, despite two losses, are still in contention for the knockouts, but only just.
Which teams can still qualify for the semifinals and what do they need to do to get there? Here’s Al Jazeera’s breakdown of the permutations as of Sunday, October 13, at 07:00 GMT:
Which teams can qualify for the Women’s T20 World Cup semifinals?
Group A:
- Australia
- India
- New Zealand
- Pakistan
Group B:
- England
- South Africa
- West Indies
Two falcons 🦅
Two camels 🐫
10 captains 😎
ONE trophy 🏆It’s all happening in the UAE! #T20WorldCup #WhateverItTakes pic.twitter.com/jpHKibbe7r
— T20 World Cup (@T20WorldCup) October 2, 2024
How can Australia qualify for the semifinals?
- Beat India in their last group game to finish on top of the table with eight points.
- If Australia lose to India, they would want New Zealand to lose against Pakistan, resulting in six points for Australia and India and four each for Pakistan and New Zealand.
- Australia could also rely on their far superior net run rate to see them through should those calculations come into play.
How can India qualify for the semifinals?
- A win over Australia in their final group game and a loss for New Zealand against Pakistan will ensure India’s qualification on points.
- If India lose to Australia, they will hope that Australia’s huge win over Pakistan will eliminate their neighbours on net run rate and that New Zealand lose to Pakistan. Group A would then have Australia on the top and India in the second spot on net run rate.
- Should India lose to Australia and New Zealand beat Pakistan, Harmanpreet Kaur’s team will enter a net run rate battle with the White Ferns. India hold the lead on that front with a net run rate of 0.576 as opposed to New Zealand’s 0.282. But all of that could change in their last respective group games.
India secure their largest-ever win in Women's #T20WorldCup history 🎉#INDvSL #WhateverItTakes 📝: https://t.co/jeJWKMdUIw pic.twitter.com/2ZWLTimQJN
— T20 World Cup (@T20WorldCup) October 9, 2024
How can New Zealand qualify for the semifinals?
- If New Zealand beat Pakistan and India lose to Australia, the two victors will enter the semifinals from Group A.
- Should India beat the holders, New Zealand would need to beat Pakistan by a considerable margin to improve their net run rate.
- If New Zealand lose to Pakistan and India beat Australia, the women in blue will join Australia in the semifinals.
How can Pakistan qualify for the semifinals?
- After losing to Australia, Pakistan must beat New Zealand comprehensively and hope Australia beat India by a huge margin. This would result in four points for Pakistan, New Zealand and India and the team with the higher net run rate would qualify.
- If India beat Australia, Pakistan are unlikely to feature in a net run rate qualification scenario due to their much poorer position.
- If Pakistan lose their last game, they will end yet another World Cup campaign at the group stage.
Pakistan have never qualified for the semifinals of a World Cup [File: Giuseppe Cacace/AFP]
How can England qualify for the semifinals?
- England need two wins in their two games to finish on eight points and qualify as table toppers.
- One win and one loss will see them finish on six points and enter a net run rate battle against South Africa and West Indies. Heather Knight’s team are currently behind on that front but they hold the advantage of having two games in hand as opposed to the other two teams.
- Should England lose to both Scotland and West Indies, they can still qualify if their net run rate is higher than all three other teams.
How can South Africa qualify for the semifinals?
- South Africa have finished all their group games and sit on top of the table with six points and a net run rate of 1.382. Now, they must wait for the other two games in their group to go their way.
- If England beat Scotland and the West Indies, England and South Africa will enter the semifinals on points.
- Should England beat Scotland but lose to the West Indies, three teams – England, South Africa and the West Indies – will jostle for a spot on the basis of net run rate. The Proteas women will be favourites to qualify in such a scenario.
How can the West Indies qualify for the semifinals?
- The West Indies must beat England to enter the net run rate battle.
- If England beat both Scotland and the West Indies, the 2016 champions will exit the tournament.
WI WIN!🙌🏾
A great bounce back and points on the table!📊#WIBelieve | #MaroonWarriors pic.twitter.com/Xy8ptO0lb0
— Windies Cricket (@windiescricket) October 6, 2024
