ICC T20 World Cup 2021: 4 Teams Which Can Qualify For The Knockout Stage

The highly anticipated ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is scheduled to begin from October 17 in United Arab Emirates (UAE) & OMAN and will end on November 14. The tournament was scheduled to begin in India but was shifted to UAE and OMAN due to the Covid-19 scare in the country.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has divided teams into two Groups for the Super 12 Stage and Two Groups for the Qualifier stage of T20 World Cup 2021.

Notably, There are a total of 8 teams that have made entry into the T20 World Cup 2021 Super 12 stage through direct qualifications, and the remaining 4 teams will be decided after the qualifier stage.

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In the already qualified teams, Group 1 which is also known as ‘Group Of Death’ consists of England, Australia, West Indies, and South Africa. Meanwhile, Group, 2 consists of India, Pakistan, New Zealand, and Afghanistan.

In this article, we will find out who exactly are the top 4 teams that can make the cut into the knockout stage of the marquee event. Notably, the first semi-finals will commence in Abu Dhabi on November 10 and the second semi-final will be played in Dubai on 11 November. Also, both semi-finals have reserve days.

4 Teams Which Can Qualify For The Knockout Stage Of ICC T20 World Cup 2021

New Zealand

Team New Zealand are the underdogs that outshine the tournament favorites in the big ICC events. Recently the Kane Williamson and co. were able to win the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Test Championship (WTC) by defeating Team India. Also, they have been very consistent in limited-overs cricket as well.

The New Zealand national cricket team under the leadership of Kane Williamson has won 4 back-to-back T20I series. However, in absence of Williamson and few other big players New Zealand faced a defeat against Bangladesh by 3-2.

Meanwhile, with the return of big names, the Blackcaps will be a force to reckon with. The 15-member squad of New Zealand is pretty strong and they are placed in a comparatively less competitive group which means they have high chances of making it into the knockout stage of the T20 World Cup 2021.

England

Team England has been the most dominant team in limited-overs cricket for the last few years. They got a large pool of exceptionally talented cricketers in the team. Especially their batting unit is filled with power hitters.

The Eoin Morgan-led England is one of the favorites to win the T20 World Cup 2021 considering team’s red hot form in the shorter format of the game.

In the last 10 T20 International series England has played they have emerged victorious 8 times, losing only one series against Team India by 3-2. However in that series too team England showed their aggressive intent.

However, Jofra Archer who is undoubtedly the best pacer of England will miss out on the Marquee event as he has been ruled out of the cricket for an entire year after a recurrence of a stress fracture in his right elbow. Meanwhile, Star All-rounder Ben Stokes will also be not able to provide his services to England as he is on the break from cricket to focus on his mental well-being.

Still, the team has a lot of firepowers and the overall 15-member squad announced by England And Wales Cricket Board is pretty strong and they can easily make it into the knockout stage.

West Indies

It’s safe to say that West Indies owns the T20 format of the game. They are the most unpredictable side and they will be entering the tournament as one of the favorites to win the T20 World Cup 2021. Notably, they are the most successful team in the T20 World Cups as they have already won the world cup twice.

Notably, West Indies has only won 2 out of the last 5 series but they can’t be judged based on their previous performance as the word unpredictability is associated with the team. They have got an exceptionally dangerous squad that is filled with explosive batters like Nicholas Pooran, Chris Gayle, Andre Russell, Kieron Pollard, etc. Their bowling is also very strong.

Team West Indies is filled with veterans, they possess the capability to beat any team in their Group and overall in World Cup, there will be no surprise if the Kieron Pollard-led side easily qualifies for the Knockout stage outperforming other teams.

India

Team India which will be led by Virat Kohli in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2021 will have all eyes on them as they are one of the strongest sides in the tournament and will be aiming for clinching the T20 World Cup trophy for the 2nd time.

Notably, Team India has covered all the bases in the 15-member squad also the stand-by players ( Shardul Thakur, Shreyas Iyer, and Deepak Chahar) named in the Indian T20 World Cup lineup are exceptionally talented.

India will be starting their campaign with a high voltage encounter against arch-rivals Pakistan and they will be hoping for starting the tournament with a victory in their bag.

There is no doubt that India can easily make it into the knockout stage of the T20, World Cup 2021 event. However, things will be tough in the knockout as India might face West Indies or England. Meanwhile, Virat Kohli alongside his deputy Rohit Sharma will be looking to win the ICC Trophy after a very long time.

Also Read: ICC T20 World Cup 2021: Best XI Of World Beaters Who Missed Out On Squad Selection