T20
T20 World Cup Groups 2022
The Super 12s phase of the 2022 T20 World Cup is now in full flow, with some classic encounters already served up alongside a couple of surprise results.
England’s shock loss to Ireland on Wednesday was a curveball to their semi-final aspirations, but what do Jos Buttler’s side need to do in order to qualify from their group? How does entering the next round work for all the nations?
Below is a guide to how the initial T20 World Cup groups get decided, before we move on to the Super 12 groups, as the tournament concludes its second week.
How do T20 World Cup Groups get decided?
Before the commencement of the Super 12s Phase, the previously unqualified nations had to fight their way through the Group Stage in order to earn the right to compete in the latter phase of the tournament. They were split into two groups of four:
First Round
Group A
| Team | Captain | World Cups Won |
|---|---|---|
| Namibia | Gerhard Erasmus | Zero |
| Netherlands | Scott Edwards | Zero |
| Sri Lanka | Dasun Shanaka | One (2014) |
| UAE | Ahmed Raza | Zero |
Group B
| Team | Captain | World Cups Won |
|---|---|---|
| Ireland | Andrew Balbirnie | Zero |
| Scotland | Richie Berrington | Zero |
| West Indies | Nicholas Pooran | Two (2012, 2016) |
| Zimbabwe | Craig Irvine | Zero |
Each team plays each other once in a round-robin format, with the top-placed team in Group A (A1) and the second-placed team in Group B (B2) joining England, New Zealand, Australia and Afghanistan in Group 1 of the Super 12 stage. In similar vein, the top team of Group B (B1) and the second-best team in Group A (A2) join India, Pakistan, South Africa and Bangladesh in Group 2.
In this year’s edition of the tournament, Sri Lanka and the Netherlands advanced from Group A, whilst Ireland and Zimbabwe shocked the West Indies to advance from Group B. Those four nations make up the rest of the places in the Super 12s phase, which is currently being played.
Super 12
Below are the current groups for the Super 12s phase:
Group One
| Team | Captain | World Cups Won |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | Aaron Finch | One (2021) |
| England | Jos Buttler | One (2010) |
| New Zealand | Kane Williamson | Zero |
| Sri Lanka | Dasun Shanaka | One (2014) |
| Afghanistan | Mohammad Nabi | Zero |
| Ireland | Andrew Balbirnie | Zero |
Group Two
| Team | Captain | World Cups Won |
|---|---|---|
| India | Rohit Sharma | One (2007) |
| Pakistan | Babar Azam | One (2009) |
| South Africa | Temba Bavuma | Zero |
| Bangladesh | Shakib Al Hasan | Zero |
| Zimbabwe | Craig Ervine | Zero |
| Netherlands | Scott Edwards | Zero |
In similar fashion to the Group Stage, each time plays each other once in a round-robin format, with two points for a win and zero for a loss (and one for an unlikely tie). The top two countries from each group advance to the semi-finals of the competition, with the winner of Group One playing the runner-up of Group Two, and vice-versa.
As only two teams qualify from each group of six, a single loss can blow the group wide open. In England’s case, they need to achieve near-perfect results from here on in after a disastrous loss on Wednesday. Their fixture against hosts Australia on Friday morning is therefore even more significant.
