After Bangladesh secured a victory over Nepal in Group D, all teams have now secured their spots for the Super 8 stage of the T20 World Cup. With three more matches to go in the next 24 hours, the group stage will conclude on Tuesday, leading to the start of the Super 8 stage on Wednesday, June 19. Bangladesh claimed the second spot in Group D, following South Africa, and will be part of Group 1 in the Super Eights alongside Afghanistan, India, and Australia. Group placements for the Super 8 stage were finalized on Sunday after Australia defeated Scotland, aiding England in their qualification for the Super 8 stage.
Although all eight teams have been confirmed for the Super 8 stage, there is some confusion among fans regarding the group seeding and fixtures.
For instance, India (A1) topped Group A with seven points and will face Australia in the Super 8 stage, who also finished first in Group B ahead of England. However, Australia has been seeded as B2 in the first Super 8 group despite being the Group B winners.
Interestingly, India and Australia were aware before the tournament started that they would face each other in the Super 8 stage, regardless of their placements in the top two of their respective groups.
In another scenario, Afghanistan and West Indies will compete in their final match on Tuesday, with both teams undefeated so far with a chance to top Group C.
Even if West Indies defeat Afghanistan, they have been seeded as C2 in the group. Likewise, Afghanistan is C1 as New Zealand did not qualify for the Super 8s.
The confusion arises from the newly-introduced seeding system by the ICC.
Let’s review the ICC’s pre-tournament seedings:
ICC’s pre-tournament seedings
A1 – India
A2 – Pakistan
B1 – England
B2 – Australia
C1 – New Zealand
C2 – West Indies
D1 – South Africa
D2 – Sri Lanka
Super 8 groups:
Group 1: India (A1), Australia (B2), Afghanistan (C1), Bangladesh (D2)
Group 2: England (B1), USA (A2), West Indies (C2), South Africa (D1)
@Cricbun
