Team India, led by Rohit Sharma, Team Pakistan, Team Bangladesh, Team South Africa, and Team South Africa are all competing for the remaining two spots in the ICC World T20 2022 semi-final stage. India, ranked first in Group 2, and South Africa, ranked second, are the favourites to advance to the World Cup semi-finals in Australia.

With a convincing victory over the Proteas at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), Pakistan, led by Babar Azam, revived their ICC World T20 2022 campaign after staring at the exit door in their crucial matchup with South Africa on Thursday. India’s archrivals Pakistan defeated South Africa by 33 runs in a rain-shortened match to keep their hopes of reaching the T20 World Cup semi-finals alive. This marked the return of their World Cup rivalry against the bogey opponent.

At the T20 World Cup, Pakistan’s second consecutive victory in the Super 12 stage has opened up Group 2 once more.

In the ICC World T20 2022 Group 2 standings, the 2009 champions have moved up to third place. Babar’s underwhelming Pakistani team still stands a slim chance of reaching the ICC event’s semi-finals in Australia.

How Pakistan can qualify for semi-finals

In their final Super 12 stage matchup on Sunday, third-placed Pakistan will play Bangladesh under the leadership of Shakib Al Hasan. Pakistan will need to defeat Bangladesh in addition to Team India or South Africa failing to win their matches on Sunday. Pakistan will be able to surpass the Proteas by winning more matches (3) than the team led by Temba Bavuma if South Africa loses or has their final game postponed. Pakistan can advance to the next round with a victory over Bangladesh based on a higher Net Run Rate (NRR) if Zimbabwe defeats India.

What’s next for Rohit Sharma-led Team India?

The strategy is simple for Team India, led by Rohit Sharma. Enter the semi-finals if you win Sunday’s final Super 12 match. It’s interesting to note that India only needs to win their final match against Zimbabwe by one point to reach the semifinals. Despite losing to Zimbabwe, Team India, led by Virat Kohli, can still advance to the semifinals with a higher NRR if Pakistan loses to Bangladesh and Netherlands defeats South Africa.

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How can South Africa enter the semis? Are Bangladesh alive in the semi-final race?

To remain in contention for a spot in the T20 World Cup semifinals, Bangladesh will need to defeat Pakistan, and South Africa will likely settle for a single point in their final group match against the Netherlands. South Africa will advance to the semifinals if they defeat Netherlands. Pakistan need only defeat Bangladesh to advance to the semi-finals if the rain gods show up on Sunday and force South Africa’s match to be abandoned. In this scenario, South Africa will have fewer victories (2) than Pakistan. As a result, South Africa must defeat Netherlands to advance to the semi-finals on Sunday.