ICC T20 World Cup 2024: Predicting four semi-finalists of the tournament

The semi-finals of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 will be played on June 26 and 27.

The excitement around the Super 8 stage of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 is obvious, as the top eight teams of the competition will fight to reach the knockout stage.

The tournament is being co-hosted by the West Indies and the USA. However, the USA leg is completed and now the rest of the tournament will be played in the West Indies only.

India, England, Australia, Afghanistan, West Indies, South Africa, the USA and Bangladesh have advanced to the Super 8 round.

Group 1 comprises India, Australia, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, while Group 2 includes England, West Indies, South Africa and the USA.

In this article, we take a look at the four teams that might make it into the semi-finals of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024.

Here are the four predicted semi-finalists of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024:

1. India

India have been on a roll in the tournament so far. They won all of their completed games in Group A and their final contest against Canada was abandoned due to wet outfield in Florida.

India began the tournament by defeating Ireland quite comfortably before the bowlers recorded a come-from-behind victory against Pakistan by 6 runs. Even the USA gave India a mini-scare on a difficult pitch in New York. India had to play out of their skins to win that game.

The Rohit Sharma-led side have a strong case to reach the semi-finals as they will now play in more familiar conditions of the Caribbean. Spin holds the key for India in Barbados, North Sound and St. Lucia.

India have quality and experienced spinners Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal in their squad. They have batters like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya, who are adept at hitting the spinners. India will have a tough task in their first game against Afghanistan; then they will have to face Bangladesh, who have a spin-heavy attack, before taking on the mighty Australia.

The Indian side are favourites to cruise into the semi-finals thanks to their experienced batters and a varied bowling attack.

2. West Indies

Though West Indies had failed to make it to the 2023 ODI World Cup, they qualified as the hosts for the 2024 T20 World Cup. The two-time T20 world champions are one of the most dangerous teams in this format of the game.

Under the leadership of Rovman Powell, they have a strong ambition to recapture their past grandeur. Powered by a revitalized core, the team oozes desire and hunger to make their imprint on the global scene once more. The home crowd’s backing strengthens their resolve, producing an electric atmosphere that feeds their competitive spirit.

Players like captain Rovman Powell, Nicholas Pooran, Andre Russell, Sherfane Rutherford, Akeal Hossein and Alzarri Joseph give them the edge against all opposition in their home conditions.

West Indies have shown in the past how suited their game is to T20 cricket. Their players have extensive experience playing in T20 leagues, so they are familiar with players in the opposite camp as well. Playing at home is a big advantage for West Indies and they are guided by their two-time World Cup-winning captain Daren Sammy.

3. Australia

Australia have been grouped with Afghanistan, India and Bangladesh in the Group 1 of Super 8. It is going to be a challenge for the Mitchell Marsh-led team to counter spinners of the three Asian sides. However, they have the batters to overcome any obstacle.

This is also David Warner’s final outing for Australia. Having retired from tests and ODIs, after winning the respective ICC trophies in those two formats, he would like to bid goodbye in the same manner to T20Is. Australia have a brilliant group of players where Marcus Stoinis, Travis Head and Warner are leading with the bat and Adam Zampa, Starc and Josh Hazlewood are leading with the ball.

It will be a huge task for Australia to defeat India and Afghanistan on spin-friendly pitches in the Caribbean Islands, but the experience of this core of players makes them one of the favourites to make it into the final four.

4. South Africa

South Africa might be the dark horse in this tournament as they managed to qualify for the Super 8s undefeated despite their batters not being in form. They won all of their four group games against Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Netherlands and Nepal.

However, one thing that South Africa showed in the group stage is that they now can fight off the nervy moments and come out on top. The one-run win over Nepal proved that the Proteas are liberating themselves from the “choker” tag that has followed them in ICC tournaments.

They are tasked against England, West Indies and the USA in the Super 8 round. The Aiden Markram-led unit have one of the best bowling attacks in this competition and that could see them reach the semi-finals.

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