By Aamir Latif
KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - With four straight wins, favorites Pakistan have sealed their place in the semi-finals of the ongoing T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates, whereas the fate of other top teams still relies on “ifs and buts.”
Pakistan became the first team from Group 2 to cruise through to the last four after comfortably knocking out Namibia on Tuesday, and are likely to be followed by England, who are eyeing a fifth consecutive win in Group 1 to avoid a clash with the Green Shirts in the semi-finals.
Currently, both teams are top of their groups with 8 points each.
Apart from these two, Australia, India, South Africa, New Zealand, and trailblazing Afghanistan are still on the hunt for a place in the semifinals.
An otherwise demoralized India after consecutive defeats to archrivals Pakistan and New Zealand kept its hopes alive for the semifinals when they routed Afghanistan in the must-win contest on Wednesday.
But it is still not enough to get them through.
Virat Kohli and his side will have an anxious wait until Sunday’s do-or-die contest between New Zealand and Afghanistan.
Afghanistan stands second in Group 2 with four points in four matches with a healthy run rate and it must beat New Zealand to secure a place in the last four.
New Zealand also have four points in three matches but it lags behind Afghanistan in terms of run rate. However, they still have two matches to play.
If Kiwis lose to Afghanistan and beat Namibia, then there will be a run rate row between India, New Zealand, and Afghanistan to secure a birth in the semifinals as they will get up to six points each.
Wednesday's thumping 66-run victory against Afghanistan, however, has rekindled India's hope, but they have to beat Scotland and Namibia in the forthcoming matches and pray for Kiwis' defeat against Afghanistan.
In Group 1, formidable England seem to be in a comfortable position so far with eight points in four fixtures. However, they still have to eye out the outcome of at least three forthcoming matches to seal their top place in the semifinals.
South Africa also appear to be a strong contender with six points in four matches to reach the last four after their overwhelming triumph against Bangladesh.
Strong South Africa, who are also known as "chokers" due to their repeated poor performances in the final stages of big tournaments, have a daunting task ahead to beat hot-favorite England in their last match.
If South Africa win, it will get eight points, equalizing England.
However, Australia that collected four points in three matches, have two games to go – against Bangladesh and West Indies – and if they win both, they can get up to eight points as well.
In that case, there will be a three-way tie at eight points, allowing the run rate to play a decisive role. In this scenario, Australia will be in a difficult position as they have a low run rate compared to England and South Africa.
The Kangaroos need to win their last two games by a combined margin of around 160 runs to get anywhere near England and South Africa.