Sixteen teams will battle it out over the next month to be crowned as the 2022 T20 World Cup champions. The tournament is set to commence on 16 October with eight bottom-ranked teams playing in the first round of the competition. The four best-performing teams will go on to qualify for the Super 12s stage where they will join the top eight T20I teams in the world.
The Super 12s stage consists of two further groups of six teams each. Hosts and defending champions, Australia, England, New Zealand, and Afghanistan, and two qualifiers have been placed in group 1 while arch-rivals Pakistan and India alongside South Africa, Bangladesh, and two qualifiers are in group 2 of the Super 12s.
The top two sides from each group at the end of the Super 12s stage will go on to qualify for the semi-finals of the competition where the group winners of group 1 and runners-up of group 2 will face each other and vice-versa. The winners of the semi-final encounters will face each other in the final of the mega-event on 13 November at the historic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
Check out the full schedule of the T20 World Cup 2022 here.
The 2022 T20 World Cup promises to be one for the ages with sixteen top international teams vying for four coveted spots in the semi-finals of the competition.
Let’s have a look at which four teams will make it to the semi-finals of the tournament:
Group 1
| Australia | England | New Zealand |
| Afghanistan | Winner Group A | Runner-up Group B |
Australia, England, New Zealand, Afghanistan, and two qualified teams will battle to finish within the first two spots in the group to make their way to the semi-finals of the competition. Group 1 presents a tricky situation with Australia, New Zealand, England, and Afghanistan all top contenders to qualify for the next round.
Here’s who we think will qualify for the semi-finals:
Australia
The defending champions are one of the strong favorites to repeat their heroics from the previous edition and lift the 2022 T20 World Cup title in front of their home crowd. The Kangaroos possess a star-studded squad and with the introduction of explosive middle-order batter, Tim David, the team has strengthened further.
Australia has been in a fine run of form in the shortest format of the game and will be the team to beat in group 1 of the Super 12s stage. Led by Aaron Finch, Australia are lucky to have the services of some of the best T20 players in the world including David Warner, Glenn Maxwell, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Adam Zampa.
It would not be a surprise to see them finish at the top of their group.
England
England, high on their T20I series win against Pakistan away from home, is our second pick from Group 1 to qualify for the semi-finals of the competition. Just like Australia, England possesses some star T20 players in their squad such as captain Jos Buttler, all-rounders Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali, pacers Mark Wood, Reece Topley, and Chris Woakes, and explosive batters, Liam Livingstone and Alex Hales.
England will be determined to overcome a disappointing loss in the semi-finals of the previous edition and go all the way in the upcoming mega-event. With a well-balanced side, England is one of the strong favorites for the title.
Group 2
| Pakistan | India | South Africa |
| Bangladesh | Winner Group B | Runner-up Group A |
Pakistan and India along with South Africa, Bangladesh, and two qualifiers make it a tough group. Current Asia Cup champions, Sri Lanka are also expected to join the group as they are the favorites to finish at the top of their group in the first round of the mega-event, which would make the group more interesting.
Here’s who we think will qualify for the semi-finals from this group:
Pakistan
The Men in Green have had a roller-coaster ride in T20I cricket recently. They played some magnificent cricket in Asia Cup before losing to Sri Lanka in the final and then went on to lose the seven-match series against England at home. The inconsistency in the side is starting to creep back in and with much highlighted middle-order woes, Pakistanis will need to be at the top of their game if they want to finish within the top two spots in the points table.
The Green Shirts possess one of the most potent bowling attacks in the tournament with the likes of Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Wasim Jr., Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, and the returning Shaheen Shah Afridi. Their batting unit will be led by the world’s number one batter, Mohammad Rizwan, and star batter, Babar Azam, while the likes of Asif Ali and Iftikhar Ahmed will be relied upon to provide some big blows at the end of the innings.
Pakistan does have a huge task in front of them but the star quality should be enough for the team to make it to the semi-finals of the 2022 T20 World Cup.
South Africa
South Africa is our surprise pick to qualify for the semi-finals ahead of India. The Proteas have steadily built a solid T20I team with all their bases covered. They possess one of the best finishers in the current era, David Miller, alongside explosive batters such as Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, Quinton de Kock, and Rilee Rossouw. Their bowling attack is also one of the most potent in the tournament with the likes of Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi, and Keshav Maharaj and we all know what an excellent fielding side they are.
The ‘Rainbow Nation’ would be determined to right their wrongs from the previous edition and make their way to the semi-finals this time around.
South Africa’s inclusion would mean that Asian giants, India and Sri Lanka, would be unable to make their way to the knock-out stage. While both teams are exceptional, it just seems like they won’t have enough when it comes to crunch moments in the mega-event.
India, as good as they are on their day, have not been at their usual best in the shortest format in ICC tournaments. Especially with the absence of star bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, India’s chances of qualifying for the semi-finals have drastically gone down.
Similarly, Sri Lanka is also sweating on the fitness of star pacers, Dushmantha Chameera and Lahiru Kumara. If both the bowlers manage to get themselves fit then Sri Lanka too has a solid chance of making it to the semi-finals.
Which four teams will qualify for the semi-finals? Write down your predictions in the comments!
Australia, England, India, South Africa
Pakistan, India, England, Australia