T20 World Cup 2024: England's Semi-Final qualification scenarios

England suffered a narrow seven-run defeat against South Africa in their second Super 8 match of the 2024 T20 World Cup. Jos Buttler and Co. failed to chase down a target of 164 on a sluggish pitch at the Darren Sammy International Cricket Stadium in St Lucia on Friday, June 22. Needing 14 off the final over, well-set batter Harry Brook’s dismissal in the first ball resulted in England being restricted to 156-6.

The defending champions have not had a promising start to their campaign, winning just one of their three league matches. However, they managed to surpass Scotland in terms of net run rate and sneaked into the Super Eights. England made a strong start to the second phase of the tournament by defeating co-hosts West Indies by eight wickets.

A win against South Africa would have cleared their path to the knockouts. Nevertheless, they are still in contention and Buttler remained confident about the same after their recent defeat. "We're still very much in the competition. We've played really well today, just couldn't get over the line," Jos Buttler said.



Also Check: West Indies' Semi-Final qualification scenarios

Here's how England can still qualify for the knockouts:

A massive nine-wicket win over the United States has lifted West Indies to second place in Group 2 with a healthy net run rate (NRR) of +1.814. England are now one place behind the Windies with a NRR of +0.412. Their final match in the Super 8s is against the USA and they will want nothing less than a win. But is that enough? Let's examine the possibilities: 

- If South Africa beat West Indies in their final game, a win against the USA would be enough for England to qualify for the semi-final. 

- If West Indies beat South Africa and England defeat the USA in their upcoming matches, three teams will be level with two points each. In this case, the NRR will come into play to decide who will qualify from Group 2. 

- Meanwhile, if the West Indies lose to South Africa and England lose to the US, the two teams will be tied on two points, with the Proteas are assured of a semi-final berth. In this scenario, NRR will come into play and England will have to hope that Windies will lose to South Africa by a huge margin.  

- With England having a lower NRR than West Indies, Buttler's team will have to pray that rain does not disrupt any of the remaining Super 8 matches.

Also Read: Aiden Markram's brilliant catch in last over helps South Africa beat England in T20 World Cup 2024