We have the four semi-finalists, even before the group stage has ended in the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021. The tournament started with 16 teams after some one-sided affairs, a handful of thrillers and some outstanding performances with both the bat and the ball, Australia, England, Pakistan and New Zealand have made it to the semi-finals.
Pakistan remained the only unbeaten team in the Super 12 with five wins in as many games as they won their final game against Scotland on the back of skipper Babar Azam's knock of 66 runs and Shoaib Malik's unbeaten 18-ball 54. 189 proved too much for the men in purple as Pakistan won the game by 72 runs.
Pakistan (Group 2 toppers) will face Australia (Group 1 2nd team) in the second semi-final in Dubai on Thursday, November 11. Australia in the run-up to the T20 World Cup were coming with poor form losing the last five T20 series but with their top players back in the side, they started looking like the team of old.
Despite a brutal loss to England, Australia recovered their NRR in their next couple of games and thereby qualified for the semi-finals. South Africa with four wins in five games lost out on a place in the semis due to an inferior NRR but they can be mighty proud of what they have achieved in this T20 World Cup as no one gave them a chance as they were missing a couple of key players and what happened with Quinton de Kock and the 'taking the knee' mandate in the middle of the tournament.
South Africa beat England in their final game but the latter still topped the points table with a better NRR than both of them. One of the pre-tournament favourites lived up to the billing and played like a champion white-ball outfit. The injuries hindered them but their pool of white-ball players is so strong that anyone coming from the set of 15 or 18 can play and perform on any given day.
England will face New Zealand (Group 2 2nd team) in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, November 10, who started their campaign with a close loss to Pakistan but came back strongly to win the remaining four games and qualifying for the semi-finals again.
