Ian JohnThe T20 Cricket World Cup has been taking place in Australia over the last month or so and we are now down to the semi-final stage, with just four teams remaining in the competition, one of which is England.
However, it has been an enthralling tournament with many twists and turns including some frustrating washed out days, some incredible upsets and a chastening elimination for the host nation in the Super 12s stage of the tournament.
So before we move on to take a look at the latest betting from bet365 Sport on the two semi-finals, let’s quickly recap how the tournament has gone.
T20 World Cup 2022 – Review
First Round
One of the more remarkable things about this World Cup has been how even it is and a hint of what was to come came in the First Round of the competition with the eight teams across two groups battling it out for the final four places in the Super 12s round.
Every team managed to win a game in this phase, a rarity and no team managed to win every match and there were some stunning upsets even in this early round of the tournament as we shall explore below.
- Group A
There weren’t too many upsets in Group A, although we did start with one after Namibia produced a stunning performance to claim a victory over the group favourites Sri Lanka, winning by a huge 55 run margin.
Netherlands then took control of the group defeating the UAE and Namibia, by 3 and 5 wickets respectively while Sri Lanka got back to winning ways with a comprehensive 79-run win over the UAE.
That set up an intriguing final day with Namibia, Sri Lanka and the Netherlands all battling it out for a place in the Super 12s. Sri Lanka found form to beat the Netherlands, but it did not prove costly for the Dutch as the UAE producer their best performance of the competition to edge out Namibia by seven runs.
Group A Final Table
- Sri Lanka – 4pts
- Netherlands – 4pts
- Namibia – 2pts
- United Arab Emirates – 2pts
Sri Lanka would go into Group 1 of the Super 12 stage, while Netherlands would take their place in Group 2.
- Group B
Group B saw some incredible action which began in the very first game when Scotland produced a superb performance to defeat the two-time T20 World Champions West Indies by 42 runs.
Zimbabwe defeated Ireland by 31 runs in the second game, but in the third, the Irish team put together a solid performance with the bat to defeat Scotland by 6 wickets.
In the fourth game, Zimbabwe were all out for 122 against the West Indies 153, meaning that heading into the final two games, it was a case of winner takes all in both matches with each team winning one and losing one match.
The first game saw Ireland produce another superb batting display to defeat the West Indies, knocking them out of the tournament, while in the final game of the group, Zimbabwe earned the win thanks to a 5-wicket victory over Scotland.
Group B Final Table
- Zimbabwe – 4pts
- Ireland – 4pts
- Scotland – 2pts
- West Indies – 2pts
Zimbabwe earned a spot in Group 2 following their topping of Group B, with Ireland going into Group 1 in the Super 12.
Super 12
Group 1
The Super 12 stage began in Group 1 with a stunning win for New Zealand over the hosts Australia, with the 89-run victory proving vital when it came to deciding the final positions in this group.
England defeated Afghanistan in their opener, with Sri Lanka cruising to victory over Ireland in the third game. Australia then beat Sri Lanka in the fourth to claim a much-needed seven wicket victory.
However, on a rainy day in Melbourne, Ireland defeated England on the DLS method by five runs in a rain affected game, which also saw the game between Afghanistan and New Zealand washed out and unfortunately, it was the same story two days later when Afghanistan v Ireland and Australia v England were also washed out.
When action resumed on the 29th October, New Zealand beat Sri Lanka, followed by Australia defeating Ireland and Sri Lanka beating Afghanistan.
Next up was a key game for England who needed to beat New Zealand to stay in with a chance in the group and Ben Stokes’ team did just that, sealing a 20-run victory.
The Kiwi’s roared back to beat Ireland in their final game, a result which put them top of the group. Australia moved into second with a 4-run win over Afghanistan, but the Aussies would not qualify if England managed to defeat Sri Lanka, as the England team had a far superior Notional Run Rate than the hosts.
In the final game, England beat Sri Lanka by four wickets to claim second spot and in doing so eliminated Australia from the competition.
Group 1 Final Table
- New Zealand – 7pts (2.113 NRR)
- England – 7pts (0.473 NRR)
- Australia – 7pts (-0.173 NRR)
- Sri Lanka – 4pts
- Ireland – 3pts
- Afghanistan – 2pts
Group 2
In Group 2, India were expected to dominate the group and while they won it, losing just the one game, it is fair to say that they were pushed in a number of games.
India started with a dramatic four wicket win over Pakistan and they were easy victors over the Netherlands in their second game.
A solid South Africa performances saw India lose the third game in the group but a hard-fought win over Bangladesh on the DLS Method, followed by a comfortable win over Zimbabwe saw India take the top spot in the group.
As to who would finish second behind them, it looked to be a two-team battle between Pakistan and South Africa, with South Africa holding the advantage heading into the final game of the competition for each team.
The South African’s had five points, to Pakistan’s four and a victory over the Netherlands would put South Africa into the semifinals, however in a stunning upset, the Netherlands won that match by 13 runs.
Pakistan had been handed a huge reprieve and they duly took their opportunity, defeating Bangladesh by five wickets to earn a surprise semi-final spot.
Group 2 Final Table
- India – 8pts
- Pakistan – 6pts
- South Africa – 5pts
- Netherlands – 4pts
- Bangladesh – 4pts
- Zimbabwe – 3pts
Knockout Stage
Semi Finals
New Zealand v Pakistan (Sydney)
Betting – New Zealand – 4/5, Pakistan – Evens
The bookmakers have the New Zealanders as the slight favourites here and it is easy to see why after they topped their group, while Pakistan needed help from Ireland to make it to the semifinals. However, it would not be the first time a team stumbles into the latter stages of a tournament but then goes on to cause a shock.
That said, I think New Zealand are a better all-round team here and while I expect it to be close, I think New Zealand will take the win.
India v England (Adelaide)
Betting – India – 4/5, England – Evens
With Australia out of the tournament, India are many people’s favourites to win this tournament now. With Virat Kohli scoring 246 runs in 5 innings, and Suryakumar Yandav adding 225 also in five, India’s batting strength is scary.
England have produced the goods when it matters in this competition though and they won’t be scared of what India can do. I think the winner of this game depends on the toss with those sent in to bat first being at a disadvantage.
As such, I am going to go with the value here and take England to win a nailbiter.
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