India’s thrilling five-wicket victory over West Indies has sealed the deal for the T20 World Cup semifinals. All four teams are now confirmed, setting the stage for high-stakes battles in Kolkata and Mumbai.
In the first semifinal on March 4 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, South Africa will face New Zealand. The Proteas have been unstoppable, dominating Group 1 with three straight wins. They crushed Canada by 57 runs, outlasted Afghanistan in a super over thriller, and then beat New Zealand by seven wickets before wrapping up with a six-wicket win over UAE.
South Africa’s Super 8 campaign was equally commanding. A 76-run thrashing of India was followed by a nine-wicket demolition of West Indies and a five-wicket victory against Zimbabwe, ensuring top spot.
New Zealand, topping Group 2, started strong with a five-wicket win over Afghanistan and a ten-wicket rout of UAE. Despite a seven-wicket loss to South Africa, they finished with an eight-wicket triumph over Canada. In Super 8s, a rain-abandoned match against Pakistan didn’t derail them; they hammered Sri Lanka by 61 runs but fell to England by four wickets.
Semifinal 2 on March 5 at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, pits India against England. India kicked off Group 2 with a 29-run win over USA, followed by massive victories: 93 runs over Namibia, 61 over Pakistan, and 17 over Netherlands.
A shocking 76-run Super 8 loss to South Africa tested them, but India bounced back with a 72-run win over Zimbabwe and today’s five-wicket success against West Indies to advance.
England’s path was bumpy. A narrow four-run group stage win over Nepal was undone by a 30-run loss to West Indies, but they recovered with five-wicket and 24-run wins over Scotland and Italy. Super 8s saw 51-run and two-wicket victories over Sri Lanka and Pakistan, capped by a four-wicket win over New Zealand.
The winners will contest the final on March 8 at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, for T20 glory.