T20 WC 2024 Super Eight: Decoding Pakistan, England's qualification scenarios
Though we are still in the early stages of the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup, the tournament has already witnessed some shocking upsets. As a result, finalists of the preceding T20 WC edition, England and Pakistan are in danger of missing out on a Super 8 berth. Both teams are yet to register a win, having played two games. Let's decode their qualification scenarios.
Why does this story matter?
A total of 20 sides featuring in the competition have been divided into four equal groups of five teams apiece. Each side will play one game against teams in their group. The top two sides from all four groups will then advance to the "Super Eight" stage. Meanwhile, Pakistan and England have been placed in Groups A and B, respectively.
A terrible start for Pakistan
Three-time T20 WC finalists, Pakistan are off to a terrible start. While they shockingly lost their first match in the Super Over against USA, they failed to chase down 120 against India in their next outing. Their remaining matches in this round are against Canada and Ireland. They must win both these games besides depending upon other fixtures. Meanwhile, Pakistan's NRR reads -0.150.
What do Pakistan need?
Both India and USA have won their first two games. Their NRRs read +1.455 and +0.626, respectively. Pakistan need at least one of these two teams to lose both their remaining matches. Pakistan should pin their hopes on the USA matches as India's remaining games are against USA and Canada. Besides, Pakistan must win their remaining games by convincing margins to boost their NRR.
Rain gods have hampered England's chances
England's tournament opener against Scotland got washed out due to rain. They lost to arch-rivals Australia by 36 runs in their next outing. The defending champions will meet associate sides Oman and Namibia in their remaining matches. The Brits must win both these games convincingly to boost their NRR, which is currently -1.800.
The Scotland threat for England
While the Aussies have won both their fixtures, Scotland have two wins and a washed-out match under their belt. Australia's remaining games are against associate sides Namibia and Scotland. They will go through with a win in at least one of these games. Hence, England's main focus should be on Scotland, whose only remaining match is against the mighty Aussies.
Reliance on arch-rivals
England at maximum can level with Scotland in terms of points (5). Hence, they must look to go past their NRR. Besides winning against Oman and Namibia, Jos Buttler's men need Australia to thrash the Scottish side. Notably, Scotland's NRR is a brilliant +2.164 while England's is -1.800. Hence, there are realistic chances of Scotland qualifying despite losing against Australia.
