By Sourit Sanyal
The Super 12 of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 has officially ended confirming the four semi-finalists — India, Pakistan, New Zealand and England. Several underdog teams found their way into the Super 12, creating ICC T20 World Cup history.
Till Sunday, it was still unclear who will join New Zealand and England in the semi-finals, as the second group saw a thrilling competition for the semis spot between India, South Africa, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The Netherlands made the ultimate impact after their splendid 13-run victory against South Africa at Adelaide that knocked the Proteas out of the semi-final race. The Dutch win also assured India's qualification to the semi-finals and an intense deciding match for the final spot in the semis between Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Pakistan, before the Netherlands and South Africa match, had low chances of qualifying for the semis as a Proteas victory would officially end their 2022 campaign. But with the exit of South Africa, Babar Azam's team seized the opportunity with Pakistan defeating Shakib Al Hasan-led Bangladesh by five wickets to qualify for the semis.
Bangladesh's defeat also helped the Netherlands finish fourth in their respective Super 12 group points table that confirmed their qualification for the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup, to be hosted by the United States and the West Indies.
The underdog teams such as the Netherlands, Zimbabwe, Ireland, Scotland and Namibia played some of the most closely fought matches. From the premature exit of the West Indies to Pakistan's qualification to the semi-finals of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022, the underdogs played pivotal roles that etched the course of the knockout stage, influencing the semi-final race.
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Namibia Defeating Sri Lanka
Unlike the usual tradition of the host country playing the first match of the tournament, Namibia faced Sri Lanka in the opener of the ICC T20 World Cup on October 16. The match also marked the beginning of the preliminary knockout stage where eight teams were divided into two groups of four. The top two ranked teams of each group were set to qualify for the Super 12, where these qualified teams would face the seeded teams.
In the very first match, Jan Frylinck's heroics with both the bat and ball for Namibia helped defeat Asian champions, Sri Lanka, by 55 runs. This dented Sri Lanka's chances of advancing to the Super 12 but they eventually qualified after defeating the UAE and Netherlands in the later matches. Namibia did not qualify for the Super 12, but they persevered for the top two spots in the group until the bitter end.
Scotland & Ireland Defeating The West Indies
The West Indies entered the tournament as the record champions, winning the coveted T20 trophy twice (2012 and 2016). But the T20 powerhouse had a rather disappointing campaign and a premature exit after the Nicolas Pooran-led team were defeated by Scotland and Ireland in the preliminary group stage.
The Windies were jolted by the Scots in the very first match. George Munsey's unbeaten knock of 66 powered Scotland to finish the 20 overs at 160/5. In the second innings, the West Indies batters were stunned by the Scottish bowlers, losing wickets rapidly. Scotland bowled West Indies out at 118 to script a sensational victory by 42 runs.
With a rough start to the tournament, the Nicholas Pooran-led Windies faced the pressure of winning the remaining two matches with a bigger margin to cement their place in the Super 12. But on their final matchday of the preliminary group stage, the Windies were surprised again, this time by Ireland.
After the Windies ended the first inning at 146/5, the batting duo of Paul Sterling and Lorcan Tucker fired Ireland's run-chase. Sterling remained unbeaten at 66 and Tucker at 45 to confirm a sensational Irish victory against the record champions by nine wickets.
The defeat confirmed the end of West Indies' campaign and fight for the Super 12. While Scotland was unable to make it to the Super 12, Ireland's victory against both Scotland and West Indies helped them to qualify for it.
Ireland Defeating England
Ireland faced England at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Captain Andrew Balbirnie stood out for Ireland with his 62-run knock before the English bowled out Ireland at 157. In the second inning, the Irish bowlers kept the pressure on English batters, affecting their run rate.
England was at 105/5 after 14.3 overs before heavy rains forced umpires to call for covers. With the rains refusing to cease, the umpires later opted for the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method to decide the winner. According to the DLS method, England fell six runs short, ensuring Ireland's famous victory by five runs against the old rival at the MCG.
Ireland could not qualify for the semi-finals after dropping points following their defeats against Sri Lanka, Australia and New Zealand. But the Irish gave tough competition to the other group members. Until the final match day, the semi-final spots were still up for grabs between England and hosts Australia, who would join New Zealand in the semis.
England had to record a victory against Sri Lanka and they had the advantage of a better net run rate (NRR) over the Australians. The Afghans gave a hard fight until the end, reducing Australia's victory margin to dent their NRR. England defeated Sri Lanka and qualified for the semi-finals, leaving behind the defending champions.
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Zimbabwe Defeating Pakistan
Another intense match that saw an underdog team triumphing with the narrowest margin. The Chevrons scored 130/8 against Pakistan in the first inning. But Sikandar Raza's bowling spell of 3/25 restricted Pakistan to 129/8 after 20 overs, inspiring Zimbabwe to script another fairytale story and beat Pakistan by one run.
The match gave rise to viral internet content with the Pak Bean saga on Twitter, which prompted even the elected political leaders of the two countries to participate in the conversation. Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated Emmerson Mnangagwa for Zimbabwe's famous victory.
Netherlands Beating South Africa
Pakistan's chances were further dented after recording two losses against India and Zimbabwe. Till the final matchday, they were still unsure of qualifying for the semi-finals as India and South Africa were ahead of them in the points table.
The Proteas faced the Netherlands on Sunday, where a victory would seal their semi-final spot. But the Dutch came as a surprise, restricting South Africa's run-chase until the end before beating them by 13 runs. With their victory, the Dutch changed the course of their group points table which influenced the semi-finals race.
The defeat against the Netherlands meant South Africa was officially out of the semi-finals race. The Dutch victory also helped India confirm their spot in the semi-finals. South Africa's exit meant both Pakistan and Bangladesh had the chance to make it to the semis.
The two teams locked horns, fighting for the remaining semi-final spot where the winner would join New Zealand, India and England. Pakistan came on top and defeated Bangladesh by five wickets, coming against all odds to confirm their place in the T20 World Cup semi-finals. Later, India defeated Zimbabwe by 71 runs to end the Super 12 as table toppers.
With their respective victories, Pakistan will face New Zealand on Wednesday, November 9 at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). India will face England on Thursday, November 10 at the Adelaide Oval.
