After New Zealand defeated Ireland by 35 runs in their final Super 12 group, defending champions Australia had to beat Afghanistan by an unlikely 185 runs to catch up with their Trans-Tasman rivals’ net run rate.
However, the hosts scored 168 for 8 after being invited to bat by Afghanistan, paving the way for New Zealand to qualify for the knockout stage.
New Zealand becomes the first team to qualify for the #T20WorldCup 2022 semi-finals 🔥
— ICC (@ICC) 1667556058000
Australia will now have to limit Afghanistan to 106 or below to stay alive in the semi-final race, which will also involve: England.
With the win over Ireland, New Zealand took first place with seven points and a net run rate of +2,113. England (5 points), who will face Sri Lanka in their last Super 12 game, are currently in second place with a run rate of +0.547.
Australia is in third place, also with five points, but with a run rate of -0.304. If they can limit Afghanistan to 106 or lower, they can get past England’s NRR.
New Zealand, led by Kane Williamson, started their flagship T20 campaign with a dominating 89-point win over Australia before beating Sri Lanka by 65 runs after a washout against Afghanistan.
Their only loss was against England by 20 runs at Gabba in Brisbane.
New Zealand had reached the final of the last edition, where they lost to Australia by eight wickets.
