With only a week to go for the final of the T20 World Cup in the West Indies, the race for the semifinal positions is heating up with South Africa, West Indies and England fighting for two spots in Group 2 of Super 8. All three teams have a fair chance of reaching the last four with their fates still in their own hands. But who has the edge in the race for the semis? We decode the T20 World Cup semifinal race.

England, South Africa and the West Indies in the hunt

At the time of writing, South Africa (4 points) and West Indies (2 points) are in pole position to reach the last four. England’s defeat to South Africa on Friday (June 21) made matters interesting as there could be a scenario where all three teams could finish with same points. In this case, Net Run Rate (NRR) will become a huge factor in determining the position of the teams.

So the real advantage will lie with South Africa and West Indies who play their head-to-head match after England as they will know the equation of what they need to reach the semifinal. USA on the other hand could still reach the semifinal if they beat England by a big margin and West Indies lose to England by another big margin while taking a hit on the NRR.

England T20 World Cup semifinal equations

• England must beat the USA by a big margin and hope either West Indies or South Africa lose to the West Indies while ending with a poor NRR.
• England can still qualify even if they lose but must hope West Indies lose to South Africa by a big margin and end with poor NRR.
• In case of a washout against the USA, England should hope that South Africa beat West Indies.

South Africa T20 World Cup semifinal equations

• A win for South Africa against the West Indies will see them qualify for the semifinals.
• A defeat for South Africa, coupled with a defeat for England or a narrow win for Jos Buttler’s side (with poor NRR) will see the Proteas in the semis.
• A washout against West Indies for South Africa will see them qualify for the semis.

West Indies T20 World Cup semifinal equations

• A win for West Indies coupled with a defeat for England will see the hosts qualify for the semis.
• In the scenario where West Indies wins and England beat the USA, then all three teams will end up with four points each. But the team having a better NRR will qualify for the last four.
• In case of a washout, West Indies must hope England lose to the USA or also have a washout in their contest.  

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