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Phil Salt put up his best T20 Cricket World Cup performance of 2026 against Sri Lanka.
England has secured a spot in the semi-finals for Group 2, with New Zealand trailing behind them as the most likely of the group to qualify for advancement in the men’s T20 Cricket World Cup that is currently ongoing with the Super 8s round. Now Group 1 is batting it out with South Africa facing off against West Indies and coming out victorious, leaving West Indies with fewer hopes of advancement.
For advancement into the semi-finals, the ‘final four’ teams must be at the top of their games on a pitch that has already been overrun with natural forces and wash outs of games impacting matches – such as Pakistan’s first match that has now left the team struggling with only one point as they hope to advance. Here are the chances of teams making it out of the Super 8s and into the semi-finals for a coveted advancement slot.
Group 1 Qualifications Scenarios
GettyShai Hope of West Indies and Aiden Markram of South Africa stand for the toss ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup India & Sri Lanka 2026 Super 8 match between West Indies and South Africa at Narendra Modi Stadium on February 26, 2026 in Ahmedabad, India.
The top two teams of each Super 8 group will advance to the semi-finals. That means that only two teams from Group 1 will make it out of the bracket to play games on the pitch next week. Here are some scenarios for what can happen between South Africa, West Indies, India, and Zimbabe:
Now that South Africa has won against West Indies, they will certainly secure a semi-final berth if they win their upcoming match against Zimbabwe. Moreover, South Africa will likely take the top spot of Group 1 going into the semi-final if they advance with wins over both West Indies and Zimbabwe.
If South Africa experiences split results with one win over West Indies but a loss to Zimbabwe, then they would still likely have a strong chance at qualifying for the semi-final. However, net run rate (NRR) could become the deciding factor, especially if India also finishes on a similar number of points.
As of the latest analysis, independent projections place South AFrica with a higher probability of progressing at around approximately 90% compared to some of their rivals in Group 1.
India’s Chances of Making it to Semi-Finals
GettyIndia’s Axar Patel (C) celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of Pakistan’s Usman Khan during the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup group stage match between India and Pakistan at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on February 15, 2026.
India lost their first Super 8 match to South Africa by 76 runs, which caused significant damage to both their points tally and their net run rate. India now sits third in Group 1 with zero points, trailing South Africa and West Indies. With matches against Zimbabwe and West Indies coming up, here are the qualification scenarios:
If India can beat both teams, then they will finish on four points. This puts them in good standing to advance, although South Africa is still set up to lead Group 1 into the semi-final.
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