Australia have booked their place in the T20 World Cup Super 8 stage after their latest win against Namibia on Tuesday (June 11). Having rested Mitchell Starc for the clash in Antigua, the Aussies made light work of the African side to secure a nine-wicket win which now sees them into the next round. On the other hand, Sri Lanka are on the brink of elimination after their match against Nepal was washed out due to rain, leaving them winless after three matches.
Australia in Super 8
Needing only a win to secure a Super 8 berth, Australia crushed Namibia in Antigua in a contest that lasted a little over two hours on the pitch. Bowling first, all of Australia’s frontline bowlers were on the wicket-takers list as they bowled out the minnows for 72 in 17 overs. Adam Zampa was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 12/4 in his four overs while Marcus Stoinis (9/2) and Josh Hazlewood (18/2) were also in great form with the ball.
Interestingly, only two Namibia batters got into double figures with Michael van Lingen scoring 10 and skipper Gerhard Erasmus amassing half of the team’s total with 36 runs.
Needing just 73 runs to win, the Aussies chased down the total in just 5.4 overs with Travis Head top-scoring with 34 runs while David Warner got out for 20. Mitchell Marsh remained unbeaten on 18 off 9 propelling Australia to their third win of the T20 World Cup.
Australia’s final contest against Scotland will be an interesting scenario. If Mitchell Marsh’s side loses that match they will finish second in Group B and eliminate England with Scotland finishing as group winners with seven points. However, an Australia win will see England retain their chances of Super 8 qualification provided they win their remaining two matches.
Sri Lanka stare at elimination
Needing to win to retain their Super 8 qualification aspirations, Sri Lanka’s hopes were damaged by the washout against Nepal. With the points shared, both teams got off the mark on the points table but with only one game in hand, Sri Lanka can reach a maximum of three points even if they win against the Netherlands on Sunday.
Sri Lanka’s Super 8 qualification scenario as follows after today’s draw due to rain
- Netherlands vs Bangladesh match should get washed out due to rain, if either team wins then Sri Lanka are eliminated
- Nepal should beat Bangladesh by a big margin which see the latter take a hit on Net Run Rate (NRR)
- Sri Lanka should beat the Netherlands by a big margin, ensuring they end with better NRR than Bangladesh
Any other set of results will see Sri Lanka exit the T20 World Cup.
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