World Cup of T20 cricket: route to the semifinals
New Zealand
With an 89-run thumping of the tournament’s defending winners and hosts Australia, the Black Caps set the tone for their campaign thus far.
Afghanistan’s deluge did not halt their progress. Glenn Phillips’ 64-ball 104, the second century of this World Cup, helped them defeat Sri Lanka.
New Zealand struggled to match England’s 180 total but recovered to defeat the underdogs Ireland as captain Kane Williamson hit a quickfire 61.
To demonstrate how dangerous they are, the beaten finalists from last year defeated pre-tournament favourites Australia and England in the harder of the two Super 12 groups.
Pakistan
The 2009 champions’ season got off to a tragic start when they lost a last-ball thriller to India and then suffered a shocking loss to Zimbabwe.
Their triumph over the Netherlands was scarcely noteworthy as they appeared to be doomed, losing four wickets in their small 92-run chase.
However, Pakistan produced a commanding performance to thrash South Africa and restore their hopes of making the semi-finals, and the Dutch helped them out by shocking South Africa.
With speed spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi contributing career-best figures of 4-22, Babar Azam’s squad defeated Bangladesh in a game that may have determined their fate and advanced to the final four.
Azam’s performance, though, is still concerning as the opener has scored just 39 runs in five games.
England
After thrashing the opponents for 112 in their tournament opener in Perth, England’s Jos Buttler team smashed Afghanistan to maintain their status as the tournament favourites.
However, a surprising DLS loss to Ireland by five runs and a washout against Australia placed them in a tough spot.
The Three Lions rallied to defeat the Kiwis, while star all-rounder Ben Stokes’ unbeaten 42 helped them defeat Sri Lanka by four wickets in a nail-biting match to go to the semifinals.
In their victory over New Zealand, fast bowlers Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, and Mark Wood all played significant roles. Buttler and Alex Hales both scored half-centuries.
India
At a jam-packed Melbourne Cricket Ground, India India ignited the competition as Virat Kohli’s brilliance overcame Pakistan’s 159 on the last ball in front of over 90,000 spectators.
India lost just once, to South Africa, en route to the semifinals as table-toppers thanks to Kohli’s outstanding performance, which included three half-centuries to become the greatest run-scorer in tournament history.
Suryakumar Yadav, a T20 sensation, has also scored runs and will be India’s main weapon in their quest for their first world championship since the 2013 Champions Trophy with a tournament strike rate of 193.96.
India, who won the 2007 T20 World Cup, appears dangerous.
