T20 World Cup 2024 Super 8 Qualification Scenario for All Teams

Team India, West Indies, Australia, and South Africa qualify as we look at the detailed Super 8 qualification scenario for all teams for T20 World Cup 2024.

It has been more than 17 years since the inception of T20 cricket and the T20 Cricket World Cup, but the epicness of T20 World Cup 2024 is unmatched. The World Cup has been pure bliss where we are seeing the competitiveness between bat and ball to an epic closeness. When was the last time in a T20I did you see 110 as a competitive total? Well, the 2024 T20 WC has made that possible, and it is actually a delight to watch.

Not just that, with pitches assisting bowlers, no team stands a clear advantage. It’s a fact that if the pitches are batting-friendly, minnows hardly stand a chance against top teams. But this hasn’t been the case in this World Cup as barring a few teams, the challenger teams like the USA, Netherlands, Afghanistan, etc., are giving a tough fight to their top group teams.

Pending Fixtures

With 26 matches already concluded from the Group Stage of the T20 World Cup 2024, only three teams have qualified for the Super 8 stage so far, and those are India, Australia, West Indies, and South Africa. All four teams have won all the 3 matches they have played so far, and that was enough for them to qualify for Super 8. But there is space for 4 more teams for the Super 8 stage.

So, how about we analyze the pending fixtures, look at the current situation for all teams, and find out the best possible scenario for 20 teams to qualify for the Super 8 stage? To make the analysis easy to understand, let’s evaluate the fixtures for each group separately given only two teams per group qualify for the next round. Alright then, let’s get to it.

Group A – India, Pakistan, USA, Canada & Ireland

When the T20 World Cup 2024 schedule was announced, Group A and Group B were probably the easiest groups to identify the top 2 Teams from these groups. While India and Pakistan were expected to qualify unanimously from Group A, Australia and England were expected to qualify from Group B. But things aren’t going as expected from these two groups with a few surprises in store for us.

From Group A, Team India have already qualified for the Super 8 after winning their first three matches against Ireland, Pakistan, and the USA. But the group is wide open for the second spot with USA, Pakistan, and Canada fighting for that one spot. All three teams are still in contention for the Super 8 stage, but which team can get through?

Well, the USA are sitting comfortably currently with 2 wins from 3 games. They face Ireland in the next match, and will probably fancy their chances. All they need to do is win their next match, and they go through. For Canada, they have 1 win from 2 games, and if they win both their matches against India and Pakistan, they might go through if USA lose to Ireland, or USA has an inferior NRR than Canada.

Talking about Pakistan, things aren’t looking too good for them. After suffering a heavy defeat against India and USA, a win against Canada has kept their Super 8 stage hopes alive. However, a win against Ireland may not be enough for them as they would then need USA to lose against Ireland. NRR for Pakistan may not be an issue as it is very close to USA, and they can cover it.

Threat of Rain

One more thing to consider in Group A is the possibility of a washout due to rain. There are two Group A matches scheduled in Florida – USA vs Ireland and Pakistan vs Ireland. If any of these two matches get washed out, Pakistan, Ireland, and Canada will be eliminated as USA will qualify with 5 points. So, apart from competitive cricket, all eyes will be on Florida weather, which has been problematic so far.

Group B – England, Australia, Scotland, Namibia & Oman

The situation in Group B isn’t much different than Group A. Australia are through to the Playoffs, but there is a two-way fight between Scotland and England for that one spot. It’s turning into a very interesting situation after the England vs Scotland match was a washout. Scotland currently have 5 points from 3 games, and if they win their last match against Australia, they will be through, and England shall be eliminated.

However, if Scotland lose their last match, they would hope England lose one of their remaining two matches. In that case, also, Scotland qualifies. But if Scotland lose against Australia and England win both their matches with a big win, England shall go through on NRR. But it won’t be easy for England as they need to cover a NRR margin from -1.8 to +3.580. That means a victory of 100+ runs, or a chase in 14-15 overs.

Group C – West Indies, New Zealand, Afghanistan, Uganda & Papua New Guinea

Group C, which was supposedly a group of death has lived up to his expectations so far. New Zealand, which was the best team on paper from this group is all but out of the competition. With two losses from two games, New Zealand with their horrible NRR may not be able to topple Afghanistan. So, one can safely assume Afghanistan along with West Indies are the top 2 teams to qualify for Super 8 from Group C.

Group D – South Africa, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Netherlands & Nepal

Talking about Group D, things aren’t as difficult as they are in other groups. South Africa are through to the Super 8 stage with 3 wins from 3 games, and Bangladesh and Netherlands are fighting for that one spot. It’s an unfortunate ending for Sri Lanka after their washout vs Nepal as they can at max get to 3 points. So, consider Bangladesh vs Netherlands as a potential knockout match to qualify for the Super 8 stage.

Thanks for reading! What’s your take on the Super 8 qualification scenario for T20 World Cup 2024? Please email your thoughts to business@cricalytics.com

ALSO READ: T20 World Cup 2024: All 20 Teams Confirmed Final Squad List

Adesh Kothari is the founder of AK4Tsay1 Cricalytics with over 20 years of experience following Cricket.

Cricket to him is like what Football is to Lionel Messi, Singing is to Lata Mangeshkar, Dancing is to Michael Jackson, and Acting is to Clint Eastwood.

Besides his effervescent love for Cricket, Adesh is an MBA by qualification.