Group B Qualification Scenarios Explained – West Indies, England and South Africa in the race?

England and West Indies play the final league match of the ninth edition of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup on Tuesday in Dubai, a must-win match for both teams.

If West Indies lose, they are out of the competition and if England lose by a big margin, it will be curtains for them. England can only afford to lose by the minimum of margins. Besides these two teams, the other team that is in contention to advance to the semi-finals is South Africa. However, South Africa have completed their league matches and their fate will depend on the result of the England-West Indies game. So, let’s find out what are the different qualification scenarios for the two teams in Group B, England and West Indies:

If West Indies bat first

• If West Indies score between 61 and 96: England can afford to lose by two runs
• If West Indies score between 97 and 134: England can afford to lose by one run
• If West Indies score between 135 and 172: England cannot afford to lose in normal time (regular match without super over)
• If West Indies score 173+: England must win (in normal time or by super over)

If England bat first

• If England score less than 95: West Indies must win with at least two balls to spare
• If England score between 96 and 133: West Indies must win with one ball to spare
• If England score between 134 and 172: West Indies must win in normal time (regular match without super over)
• If England score 173+: West Indies must win (in normal time or by super over)

For South Africa

• If West Indies lose to England, South Africa qualifies for the semi-finals (along with England)
• If West Indies win, then based on the margin of victory, either South Africa or England will qualify for the semi-finals (with West Indies being the other semi-finalist)
• If England score 200+ batting first and West Indies chase it down on the last ball of the innings, then both teams will advance to the semi-finals
• The only extreme scenario in which South Africa could be knocked out of the tournament.

The qualification scenarios are quite complex, but in simple terms, both teams need a win, and the West Indies need it more than England since a defeat here would put a full stop to their T20 World Cup campaign. Whereas for England, losing with the minuscule of margins as mentioned is affordable. But a big loss would kill their hopes of making it to the semi-finals.