The top eight ranked teams in T20I cricket will be joined by four qualified teams from the first round to compete in the Super 12s stage of the 2021 T20 World Cup. The twelve teams have been divided into two groups of six teams each and the top two teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals of the mega event.
With the first round of the tournament already bringing some exciting encounters, the super 12s round promises to be even better as top international players will battle it out for the crown of T20 World champions.
The likes of Pakistan, India, New Zealand, West Indies, England, Australia, and South Africa have star-studded squads and are coming into the tournament on the back of some impressive performances in the shortest format of the game. All twelve teams in the competition will be vying for four spots in the semi-finals of the tournament as they set their eyes on the coveted title.
Here are our picks for the semi-finals of 2021 T20 World Cup:
Current ODI World Champions, England are placed into Group 1 along with defending champions, West Indies, and cricket powerhouses Australia and South Africa. The four teams will be joined by the winners of Group A and runners-up of Group B from the first round.
England are considered as one of the best white-ball teams in the world while West Indies are the only team in the world with two World T20 titles. Australia’s strong batting line-up makes them a formidable unit while South Africa’s exciting young fast bowling line-up has the ability to turn the game on its head.
Here are our top 2 sides from Group 1:
England are considered as the tournament favorites ahead of the 2021 T20 World Cup and will be determined to perform up to their usual standards. They have a strong overall squad with a solid batting unit and plenty of variety in their bowling unit. While their captain, Eoin Morgan, is terribly out of form, but he is still one of the best white-ball captains in the world. Their batting unit consisting of Jason Roy, Jos Buttler, Johnny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, and Eoin Morgan, has the ability to take apart any bowling line-up in the world.
They possess a potent spin-bowling attack which consists of one of the top leg-spinners in the world, Adil Rashid, and off-spinner, Moeen Ali. Their fast bowling unit of Mark Wood, David Willey, Chris Jordan, Chris Woakes, and Tymal Mills consists of express pacers and specialists for every phase of the game.
While they might miss the services of all-rounder Ben Stokes, they do possess enough cover in his place.
This may come as a surprise but we are backing Australia to qualify for the semi-finals ahead of the defending champions, West Indies. Australia’s batting unit which includes the likes of Aaron Finch, David Warner, Steve Smith, and Glenn Maxwell possesses a lot of quality and experience to soldier them onto the next round of the competition.
The fast bowling unit of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, and Kane Richardson is a formidable one and add to that the all-round quality of Marcus Stoinis, Australia will be a tough team to beat.
Their spin bowling attack is what puts them ahead of West Indies in the pecking order. While West Indies have only two spinners in their team, Akeal Hossain and Hayden Walsh Jnr., they do not possess the quality of Adam Zampa, Ashton Agar, and Mitchell Swepson. The trio will form a strong spin attack in spin-friendly conditions on offer in the UAE.
Arch-rivals Pakistan and India have been put together in group 2 alongside ODI World Cup runners-up New Zealand and underdogs Afghanistan. The four teams will be joined by the winners of Group B and runners-up of Group A from the first round of the competition.
Pakistan’s unpredictability coupled with the strategic dugouts of India and New Zealand makes up for an exciting group. The Men in Green will be determined to get their first win over their arch-rivals in World Cups and take some sort of revenge from New Zealand after their sudden cancelation of their tour of the country. New Zealand have never qualified for the final of the T20 World Cup while India will be looking to make it to their third final in their history.
Our picks for top 2 sides from Group 2 are as follows:
India are also considered as one of the favorites for the tournament and with a star-studded squad, they are expected to make it to the semi-finals of the tournament. India’s batting unit of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, and Risabh Pant is one of the strongest batting line-ups in the world. Their fast bowling options of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Bhuveshwar Kumar, and Shardul Thakur are also brilliant they have been performing well all across the globe.
India have gone for a spin-heavy squad with the inclusion of Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Rahul Chahar, and Varun Chakravarthy. They will prove to be a handful in spin-friendly conditions.
The Men in Green will be looking to shrug off the disappointment of the previous two T20 World Cups and make it to the semi-finals for the first time since 2012. They will be led by star batter, Babar Azam, and have an exciting blend of youth and experience.
Openers, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, are in sublime form and are the top two run-scorers in the format in the calendar year. The experience of Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez in the middle-order and hard-hitting batters, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, and Asif Ali make Pakistan a strong batting unit in the T20 format. Their pace attack is also one of the best in the world. It includes the likes of Shaheen Afridi, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, and Mohammad Wasim Jnr.
Pakistan’s spin attack will also prove to be handy in the UAE. Leg-spinner, Shadab Khan, left-arm spinners, Mohammad Nawaz and Imad Wasim, and off-spin of Mohammad Hafeez make a solid spin attack. Shoaib Malik can also be utilized for a few overs if needed.
West Indies possesses a strong T20 squad that includes the likes of Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, and Lendl Simmons. They are considered as strong favorites to make it to the semi-finals but due to a somewhat weak spin attack, we decided to go with Australia.
New Zealand have always been pragmatic in their approach and have the ability to make it to the top four. They have a solid squad as well led by captain, Kane Williamson. They will likely play to their strengths and can make it to the next round ahead of either India or Pakistan.
Afghanistan ae the underdogs in the tournament. They have a potent spin attack that includes the likes of Rashid Khan, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman and captain, Mohammad Nabi. Their explosive batting line-up includes the likes of Hazratullah Zazai and Mohammad Shehzad. It will not be a surprise if they manage to cause an upset and make it to the semi-finals.
Which teams will make it to the semi-finals of the 2021 T20 World Cup? Share your thoughts in the comments!