Last Updated on 4 weeks by Charbel Coorey
T20 World Cup Semi Finals Predictions: Who will qualify? | Predicting the 4 teams who will make the T20 World Cup Semi Finals
The ICC T20 World Cup is here and we’ve witnessed some great cricketing action in the first round itself. Things will get more intense now as the first round is over and the 12 teams are set for the Super 12s stage.
There will be two groups of six teams, with the top two teams from each group qualifying for the Semi Finals. So, as you can imagine, there is little room for error for the teams, which makes every match fascinating and important in equal measure. Both groups have quality teams and you can’t rule anyone out especially in T20 cricket.
The competition will be very tough especially in Group 1, and teams will have to put in everything to qualify for the Semi Finals. Having said this, all teams have some areas where they are lacking and it can go against them in crunch situations. This, along with their talent, makes this stage a potentially very exciting one.
Semi-Finalists Prediction for T20 World Cup 2021
1. India
Virat Kohli and his men are one of the top contenders for winning the tournament this year. If you look at India’s squad, you know that making the Semi Finals is the absolute minimum expectation. India is also fortunate as they have Pakistan, New Zealand, Afghanistan, Scotland and Namibia in their group. They have a phenomenal record against Pakistan in World Cups, and not ruling out Afghanistan and Scotland, but India is a quality side and should win against them.
New Zealand is one big threat, but if India win all their other matches, a top four spot looks destined for the men in blue. Having said that, the big concern is their bowling as most probably they will go in with only five bowling options. It can certainly hurt their chances if anyone is having a bad day.
The death bowling is also a bit of a worry except for Bumrah. Batting is the strength and they need their bowlers to step up – both spinners and seamers – step up. Given the quality in the squad, they should.
2. England
The current world champions in 50-over format, England are another top contender for title this year. They have a very strong batting lineup that focuses on playing aggressively from the outset. They will be missing the services of Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, and Sam Curran but their current lineup still looks strong.
Apart from Dawid Malan, all of their batters can play very aggressively from the word go. Speculations are there that England may drop Malan and play Moeen at 3, who was terrific for CSK in that position.
England overall has a pretty balanced squad and should be consistent enough with their performances to qualify. The sheer number of matchwinners make them hard to beat, even though the conditions may challenge them. Bowling is an area where they will focus on as well, with onus on the likes of Mark Wood and Chris Jordan to deliver throughout the tournament.
3. West Indies
The two-time champion Windies are a T20 powerhouse. Their players are playing T20 leagues around the globe throughout the year and they have a very experienced group of players in Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard, and Andre Russell. They have one of the best batting lineups for T20 with Dwayne Bravo coming to bat at number 8.
Their bowling is their downside but their crazy batting depth makes up for it. The likes of Dwayne Bravo and Obed McCoy are excellent bowlers but apart from that no one gives a lot of promise in their bowling attack. Windies are very experienced in the shortest format, they know how fast the game moves and how to adjust accordingly.
4. New Zealand
New Zealand is always an underrated team in ICC events. They were the runners-up of the last two 50-over World Cups and won the first World Test Championship. Their squad too looks very balanced and can win against any opposition. Their pace attack is very strong with the likes of Tren Boult, Lockie Ferguson, and Tim Southee while the batting unit has some very exciting players like Devon Conway, Glenn Phillips and Daryl Mitchell
Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi did well in the practice games which is a good sign as the pitches in UAE assist the spinners as well. The Black Caps are in group 2 and their main challenge will be against India and Pakistan, and they’ll have a very strong chance of qualifying if they can defeat either of them.
These are the four teams that I think will reach the Semi Finals of the 2021 T20 World Cup. Australia and South Africa are very strong sides as well but their batting units are over-dependent on a couple of players to score runs and this can backfire for them.
Thanks for reading!
Written by Robin Rounder. Follow Robin on Twitter today.
