The stage is set for the final chapter of the T20 WC. The Semifinalists have been decided and it all comes down to the next 5 days. From Group A of the Super 8, India booked their berth into the Semis in dominating fashion, while Afghanistan defied all odds to qualify for the next round in second place. From Group B it was South Africa who won all 3 matches to qualify for the top spot. The second team to secure the Semi-final spot was England and they will be up against the unbeaten India. Meanwhile, the Proteas will take on the massive underdogs, Afghanistan in the other semi-final.
Semi-Final 1: India vs England
In a repeat of the 2022 T20 WC Semi-Final fixture, the unbeaten Indians will take on Jos Buttler’s Englishmen at the Providence Stadium in Guyana, on June 27, 8 pm IST. The question on everyone’s mind will be: Will history repeat itself? Well, that’s unlikely in my opinion. India has provided answers whenever the opponent has asked them a difficult question throughout the tournament. With Jasprit Bumrah’s pace, Kuldeep’s spin, Hardik’s all-round ability, Axar’s utility, Suryakumar’s ability and Pant’s touch, this Indian team seems to be adept at getting themselves out of any kind of tough situation. You might have noticed that two very prominent names are missing from the above list. Those of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Both of them have not had their best tournaments so far largely due to the slow pitches in the USA. But now are finally clicking into gear, especially Rohit Sharma. Who scored a blistering 92 against the Aussies to hand India the victory. It was an Innings that will go down as one of the best T20i innings against Australia. The fact that this is the first Indian side in a long time that has been delivering results left and right without major contributions from Virat and/or Rohit makes me believe that they will go further than the Semis in this competition. On the other hand, is an English team with a mix of old and new faces. While they are a daunting opposition, they are just not capable of toppling this Indian side at the moment. Moreover, Guyana will offer a spin-friendly surface and well, the love story between English Batsmen and Indian Spinners on spin-friendly tracks is a well-documented one. Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav will be licking their fingers at the prospect of bowling 12 overs against England in Guyana come June 27.
Semi-Final 2: South Africa vs Afghanistan
The Proteas will be up against Afghanistan on June 27, 6 am IST, at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy stadium in Trinidad and Tobago. Afghanistan will be underdogs going into this match but it’s not like they haven’t pulled off incredible miracles along their way in this tournament before. Toppling both Australia and New Zealand and sending them back down under is not an easy job in ICC tournaments. The Afghanis are high on confidence and will take on South Africa, who are historically famous for choking important matches when it matters the most(Just ask any player who played the 2015 ODI WC Semis). But will South Africa manage to make it to the finals this time around? Or are there more miracles that Afghanistan can pull out of their magic hat? With the way this tournament has gone so far, why shouldn’t there be another upset? According to me, Afghanistan’s bowling prowess will lead them to yet another miraculous victory against Proteas in the Semi-Finals setting up an All-Asian encounter in the Finals.
For the first time since, 2017, an ICC tournament will have an all-Asia final, and this time between India and Afghanistan. That’s all for the penultimate match of the tournament. But what really goes down on June 27, only time will tell.
