(AP Photo)
South Africa secured their place in the T20 World Cup 2024 semi-finals from Group 2 with a tense victory over co-hosts West Indies, joining England from the same group. Both teams will now await the top two teams from Group 1 to complete the semi-final lineup.
South Africa, undefeated in the tournament until this point, faced a crucial must-win encounter against West Indies in their final Super 8 fixture. Meanwhile, England became the first team to advance to the semi-finals following a dominant 10-wicket victory over the USA, despite earlier setbacks against Australia and South Africa, and a washout against Scotland.
In the match against West Indies, South Africa initially restricted their opponents to 135/8 on a challenging pitch, led by Tabraiz Shamsi’s 3/27 and an all-around bowling effort. However, rain intervened during South Africa’s chase, reducing the game to 17 overs with a revised target of 123 runs. South Africa stumbled early, losing Quinton de Kock and Reeza Hendricks quickly, but Tristan Stubbs and Heinrich Klassen stabilized the innings. The introduction of Roston Chase saw West Indies briefly regain momentum, as the spinner dismissed David Miller and Stubbs, putting South Africa in a precarious position. Yet, Marco Jansen held his nerve to guide South Africa to victory, bringing jubilation to their camp while West Indies faced disappointment.
With this result, co-hosts West Indies and USA have been eliminated from the competition, while all four teams from Group 1 Super 8 are still competing for the remaining two semi-final spots.
As of the current standings in the T20 World Cup 2024, England has secured the top position in Group 2, ensuring they will feature in the first semi-final. This setup means they will avoid facing India (if they qualify) and instead contend against either Australia or Afghanistan, depending on the outcome of the other semi-final qualifier.
Meanwhile, South Africa, having qualified from Group 2, could potentially meet India in the semi-finals, assuming India also progresses from their Super 8 group.
The semi-final fixtures are scheduled as follows: the first semi-final will take place as a night game in Trinidad on June 26 (6:00 AM IST), while the second semi-final, more suitable for Indian TV viewers, will be held as a day game in Guyana on the same day (8:30 PM IST). India, regardless of their position in the Super 8 group, is slated to play in the second semi-final.
“The T20 World Cup 2024 final, set for June 29, includes a reserve day on June 30 in case of any disruptions. The semi-finals, each allocated 250 minutes for completion, will have additional time factored in.”
“The first semi-final on June 26 allows for 60 minutes at day’s end, with the remaining 190 minutes reserved for play resuming at 2 PM on June 27.”
“The playing conditions specify that if India advances to the semi-finals, they are slated for the second semi-final on June 27 in Guyana.”
