T20 World Cup 2024 Qualification Scenarios: Pakistan, England And New Zealand In Tough Waters

The T20 World Cup is up and running with 20 games done and dusted, the race to the Super 8s is slowly heating up, and with 19 teams still in the hunt for the 8 spots things get tougher. Currently, Oman is the only team as of now, who are out of the race to qualify.

Pakistan, England, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka are currently the worst-placed sides in the tournament.

Let's have a look at the qualification scenarios for all teams after the conclusion of the Scotland vs Oman clash on Sunday.

Group A

Remaining fixtures

Pakistan vs Canada

USA vs India

USA vs Ireland

India vs Canada

Pakistan vs Ireland

After 2 games India and Co-host USA sit pretty much at the top of the points table, with 4 points in the bag from their opening two games, Both teams will be guaranteed a place in the Super Eights, if they win their next game and Canada drops another game.

From this Pakistan are the worst-placed side with two losses in as many games even behind Canada. For Pakistan to qualify they need to win with a heavy margin against Ireland and Canada and hope that the winner of the India vs USA game wins their last match and the loser of that match drops their last fixture, on this basis, the NRR will come into the picture to decide the fate of the teams.

Group B

Remaining fixtures

Australia vs Namibia

England vs Oman

Namibia vs England

Australia vs Scotland

This is the only group having three associate nations, currently the ODI World Cup champions Australia and Scotland lead the charge at the top of the points table. Australia have to next play against Namibia, a win for Australia will guarantee them a spot, also meaning Namibia can't make it further into the competition.

The defeat at the hands of Australia has put England's campaign in jeopardy, England now cannot afford to lose games as well as hope that the weather remains clear. Even if England gains 1 point from the washout they would be out of the tournament if Australia manages to beat Scotland or Namibia or gain a point via washout.

The most likely scenario at the moment is England beating Namibia and Oman by a big margin, this will help England to match Scotland's points then the NRR will decide the fate of both teams, England also needs to hope that Scotland loses their game against Australia. Scotland currently is 3.965 runs ahead of England's NRR, this is almost a margin of 110 runs. for instance, if Scotland loses to Australia by a margin of 50 runs (provided the first innings score is 160) then England will need a combined margin of 59 runs in their remaining two games to pip Scotland.

Group C

Remaining fixtures

West Indies vs New Zealand

Afghanistan vs PNG

New Zealand vs Uganda

New Zealand vs PNG

West Indies vs Afghanistan

This group is touted to be the group of death, particularly given the way New Zealand's form is concerned. With West Indies and Afghanistan sitting pretty well at the top registering heavy wins, a win for both the teams in their upcoming games will take them through to the next round given their strong Net Run Rates.

New Zealand, even though have played just one game, are struggling because the margin of defeat was big, What New Zealand is to do now is win their remaining 3 games with one win coming with a big margin. and hope that Afghanistan beats the West Indies and that its significant loss jolts NRR of the West Indies, and pip them on points too and also hope Afghanistan beats PNG too.

If New Zealand wins their remaining three games, West Indies beats Afghanistan and Afghanistan beats PNG then all 3 teams will be locked at 6 points each then the Net Run Rate will come into the picture.

Group D

Remaining fixtures

South Africa vs Bangladesh

Sri Lanka vs Nepal

Bangladesh vs Netherlands

South Africa vs Nepal

Bangladesh vs Nepal

Sri Lanka vs Netherlands

Group D is the most difficult group with every side boasting of talent and can beat anyone on their day. If South Africa wins their next game against Bangladesh at the Nassau County they will be all but through to the next round. The worst-placed side in this group is Sri Lanka, they have lost two games on the bounce.

The Lankan Lions need to beat the Netherlands and Nepal by a decent margin and also need to hope that South Africa goes undefeated along with Nepal beating Bangladesh. The winner of the Netherlands-Bangladesh game will be on 4 points provided Sri Lanka wins their remaining two games then two teams (Winner of Netherlands vs Bangladesh) will be locked at 4 points each. Which means the NRR will come into the picture once again.