England and South Africa have confirmed their spots in the semi-finals of the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and the USA from Group 2 and await the top two from other Super 8 group as their opponents in the knockouts. While England advanced after smashing the USA in Barbados, South Africa prevailed in a tense finish against the West Indies to not only qualify but also top the group as they made it to the semis stage in the T20 World Cup for only the third time.
Now both teams are waiting for their semi-final opponents and confirmation of the respective fixtures as one team will travel to Trinidad and the other to Guyana. From Group 1, either of the semi-finalists are yet to be confirmed. India with four points in two games with a net run rate of +2.425 seem favourites as of now. However, like the second group, there will be a three-way fight for the two spots in Group 1 as well with Afghanistan toppling Australia.
However, despite all of that, India still could finish at the top of the table. Australia's net run rate with a win and a loss in two matches in Super 8 is +0.223 while Afghanistan's is -0.650. Both teams are currently at four points and if they win their respective final games, they will get to four points and net run rate will be the decider. Hence, things are looking tough for Afghanistan given how poor their net run rate is and even though Australia's NRR is positive, even if they beat India, they might not go beyond their NRR.
If India finish at the top of the table, which seems likely, they will be Group 1 toppers and they will take on the team finishing second in Group 2, which is England. If Australia surpass India's net run rate, it will be the Ashes battle in the semi-final and India will take on South Africa. Thus, India vs Australia is a high-stakes game, all thanks to Afghanistan's win against the 2021 champions.
