New Zealand Qualification Scenario: It’s not very often that New Zealand fails to progress to the second round of the World Cup event, but this time in the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, elimination is near reality for the Kiwis. The two losses upfront have put them in a perilous situation and they stand on the verge of elimination from the T20 World Cup 2024 Super 8s.
The Kane Williamson-led New Zealand lost their opening fixture in Group C against Afghanistan by a big margin of 84 runs. The big loss was followed by another crushing defeat against host West Indies by 13 runs.
The two losses to start the tournament have put New Zealand’s Qualification Scenarios in jeopardy. Though their chances are very slim, mathematically hope is there for them.
As of now, New Zealand are placed at the bottom of the points table with two losses in two matches in Group C. Below is the complete Group C points table for the T20 World Cup 2024:
| POS | TEAMS | P | W | L | D | PTS | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3.580 |
| 2 | Scotland | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2.164 |
| 3 | Namibia | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | -2.098 |
| 4 | England | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1.800 |
| 5 | Oman | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | -1.613 |
How Can New Zealand Qualify for T20 World Cup 2024 Super 8s
- Win both of their remaining matches against Uganda and PNG by big margins.
- Hope Afghanistan loses both of its matches against PNG and West Indies by big margins.
New Zealand Qualification Scenario T20 World Cup 2024
To earn a spot in the T20 World Cup 2024 Super 8s from Group C, New Zealand have a herculean task in front of themselves. The situation is not under their control completely and a bit of permutation and combinations as well which will be needed to pull off the miracle.
The foremost challenge for them is to win both of their remaining matches in the T20 World Cup 2024, with big margins. The two fixtures against Uganda and Papua New Guinea, won’t be a hard challenge for the Kiwis, but they need to win big to cover the net run rate.
New Zealand’s net run rate reads -2.425, which poses a headache. The Kiwis need to bring it down to positive territory. It’s noteworthy that Afghanistan’s net run rate is +5.225.
They will also wish that Afghanistan lose both of the remaining matches with good margins so that they remain on 4 points and their net run rate drops as well.
However, all this is unlikely to happen. Firstly, it’s nearly impossible for New Zealand to make up for the negative net run rate and even if they manage to do so, they would find it very tricky to take it above Afghanistan, who are placed second in the points table. Secondly, Afghanistan’s next fixture is against PNG, which will be an easy target for them.
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