The race for the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024 has started to heat up with the group stage games heading into the climax stages. Reigning champions Australia and England have already announced themselves as strong competitors after being the only teams to win their opening two matches so far.
Meanwhile, the other strong contenders for the title, India and South Africa, have played three and won two matches so far. Teams will aim to keep up a winning momentum in the lead up to the semi-finals.
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Once the group clashes are concluded, the four semi-finalists of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024 will be determined according to their group standings.
For now, the teams in the tournament have been segregated into two groups of five teams each. The top two teams from each group will go through to the semi-finals of the competition.
- Group A: India, Australia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, New Zealand
- Group B: England, South Africa, Scotland, West Indies, Bangladesh
Here, The Sporting News takes a quick look at the qualification scenarios for both groups and the four likely semi-finalists.
Rules for the semi-final qualification in ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024
In the group stage of the tournament, the top two sides from each group will qualify for the semi-finals. If more than two teams are tied on points for qualification, the two semi-finalists from each group will be determined using the following process.
- The team with the greatest number of wins will be placed in the higher position.
- If two or more teams are equal in terms of both points as well as wins, the team with the higher Net Run Rate (NRR) will be placed higher in the standings.
- If the two or more teams are equal in Net Run Rate as well, they will be ordered according to the head-to-head matches played between them (points and then NRR in those matches).
- If somehow the teams still remain to be equal, the team with a higher ranking according to the ICC Women’s T20I Rankings will be placed higher.
Current ICC WT20I rankings for teams: Australia (1st), England (2nd), India (3rd), New Zealand (4th), West Indies (5th), South Africa (6th), Sri Lanka (7th), Pakistan (8th), Bangladesh (9th), Scotland (11th)
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Semi-final qualification scenarios for teams in Group A: India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Australia
Group A of the group stage is much trickier than it seems to be, despite the two clear favorites to qualify in India and Australia. New Zealand is also coming into the tournament with a point to prove with a relatively young and exciting squad.
| Team | M | W | L | N/R | Pts. | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (Q) | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | +2.223 |
| India | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | +0.322 |
| New Zealand | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | +0.282 |
| Pakistan | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | -0.488 |
| Sri Lanka | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | -2.173 |
India
India started the Women's 2024 T20 World Cup with a massive 58-run loss against the Black Ferns which dampened the spirits around the camp. However, they followed up the loss with a close win over Pakistan which could not really help their net run rate. In the third match, they pull off a massive 82 run win over the Lankans to bring themselves back in the contention for the semi-final spot.
Their loss against Australia hangs them on a cliff, as India end their group-stage with two wins and as many draws. A win for New Zealand against Pakistan would end India's journey. Even a loss for the Kiwis would go down to Net Run Rate (NRR).
Chance of qualification: 20% (Need to rely on the NZ vs PAK result to qualify)
Australia
The 2023 World T20 champions are the clear favourites alongside India to qualify for the semifinals from this group.
They started the tournament with a 6-wicket win over Sri Lanka and followed it up by a thumping over the semifinal favorties, New Zealand where they defeated the Black ferns by 60-runs, making things interesting in the group.
They then hammered Pakistan, before beating India to confirm their semi-final spot.
Chance of qualification: QUALIFIED
New Zealand
New Zealand started their tournament incredibly well with a 58-run win over the Indians to make their claim for the semifinal spot strong. However, the 60-run loss against Australia evened out the situation, numerically. But a huge win against Sri Lanka has boosted their chances.
With a match against Pakistan in their hand, they are now favourites from Group A, alongside Australia, to make it to the knockout rounds. They need to win over Pakistan - no matter how it comes - after Australia beat India in their final league game.
Chance of qualification: 90%
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Pakistan
After playing two matches in the group and winning against Sri Lanka by 31 runs, they lost against India in a close match which went into the 19th over. Then, another heavy defeat to Australia has all but sealed their fate.
Chance of qualification: 1%
Sri Lanka
After losing all four matches against Pakistan by 31 run, Australia by 6 wickets, India by 82 runs and New Zealand by 8 wickets, they are already out of the tournament.
Chance of qualification: 0%
Semifinal qualification scenarios for teams in Group B: South Africa, England, West Indies, Bangladesh and Scotland
Group 2 of the Super 8s is undoubtedly the more competitive group out of the two groups with heavyweights like South Africa, England and the West Indies.
| Team | M | W | L | NR | Pts | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | +1.716 |
| South Africa | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | +1.382 |
| West Indies | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | +1.708 |
| Bangladesh | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | -0.844 |
| Scotland | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | -3.129 |
England
After winning both their matches against Bangladesh and South Africa by 21 runs and 7 wickets respectively, they only need one win over either Scotland or West Indies to confirm their spot in the next round.
England's 10-wicket win against Scotland on Sunday has all but confirmed their spot in the semi-finals. They need to beat West Indies to confirm their spot, or remain above SA (in terms of NRR), should they lose to the Carribean giants.
Chance of qualification: 95%
South Africa
The Proteas, who were the runner's up of the 2023 edition are always a threat in World Cups and with three wins over West Indies, Scotland and Bangladesh, they have high chances of making it to the semis.
Their only loss so far came against England by 7-wickets. All they need is England to win both their matches or if the Europeans lose to West Indies, hope that their their NRR stays above that of WI.
Chance of qualification: 85%
West Indies
West Indies lost their series-opener against South Africa by 10 wickets. However, the Carribean giants have made a stunning comeback post the loss, winning two out of two, since. They beat Scotland with 50 balls left, and Bangladesh with 43 balls left.
Two huge wins have put them in the driver's seat to qualify for the semis. A win in their final group-stage encounter against England could be enough to go to the knockouts. Should they lose to the European giants, they should hope their NRR does not fall below South Africa's.
Chance of qualification: 80%.
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Bangladesh
After just winning one match against Scotland by 16 runs, Bangladesh could be out of the reckoning for the semi-final qualification. The losses against England by 21 runs and West Indies by 8 wickets, have dented all their hopes of qualifying. Their final loss was a hefty one against South Africa, being unable to defend a below-par 107-run target.
Chance of qualification: 0%
Scotland
The Scottish women have lost all their three opening games against Bangladesh by 16-runs, against West Indies by 6 wickets and against South Africa by 80 runs. They even lost their final match of the league stage, against European counterparts England, suffering a defeat by ten wickets.
Chance of qualification: 0%
How will the semi-finals fixture be determined?
The semi-final fixtures of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024 will be determined by the position of teams after the group stage games conclude. The semi-final fixture will be determined by the following process.
- Semi-final 1: Winner of Group B vs Runners-up of Group A
- Semi-final 2: Winner of Group A vs Runners-up of Group B
When are the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 semi-finals?
Semi-final 1 is scheduled at the Brian Lara Cricket Stadium in Trinidad and Tobago on June 26, while the semi-final 2 will be played on June 27 at the Providence Stadium in Guyana.
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