Women’s T20 World Cup semi-final scenario: New Zealand defeats Australia, India gains advantage

Team India’s campaign in the 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup suffered a major blow as Harmanpreet Kaur and Co. lost the opening match against New Zealand. The Indian team bounced back with a win against Pakistan in the second match, but advancing to the semi-finals of the group stage remains tricky. While New Zealand take on Australia in a T20 World Cup match on Tuesday, Team India will be cheering on the White Ferns as they look to boost their hopes of qualifying for the next round.

Even if India wins their remaining matches in their Women’s T20 World Cup group stage campaign, passage is not guaranteed. The main reason for this equation is the team’s low Net Run Rate (-1.217).

Australia and New Zealand had the best performances in the tournament with Net Run Rates of +1.908 and +2.900 respectively. With India having already lost against the Kiwis, Harmanpreet Kaur’s women will get a huge boost if their first-match opponents go on to beat Australia.

If New Zealand beats Australia

Assuming New Zealand wins their remaining matches, after beating Australia, they will top their group with four wins from four games and qualify for the knockouts. If the New Zealanders beat Australia, India can also advance to the next round if they beat Australia.

In this scenario, India would have 3 wins from 4 matches and Australia would have 2 wins from 4 matches (assuming both teams win their remaining matches).

If Australia beats New Zealand

If Australia defeats New Zealand, India’s chances of qualifying will take a huge hit. With Australia and New Zealand’s NRR being better than India’s, Harmanpreet’s side will need some upsets and significant results to advance to the next round.

As far as head-to-head matches are concerned, New Zealand and Australia have faced each other in 51 Women’s T20I matches since 2006. The White Ferns have won 21 of these matches, while the Aussies have won 28.