The West Indies’ team’s 2021 ICC T20 World Campaign, labeled “Mission Maroon” on
Cricket West Indies’ Facebook Page is still alive, albeit barely so. The West Indies has accumulated two points from its two losses, one win recorded after its first three matches.
According to Cricinfo, the West Indies’ thrilling October 29 three-run win against Bangladesh
means they are, however, still in the hunt for a semi-final spot. To get there, they must win their
last two games and finish on six points. (There is a possibility of five teams finishing on four points
with England topping with 10, but given West Indies’ net run rate, that is not a route they’d want
to take.) Assuming West Indies finish on six points, here is how they can qualify without Net Run Rate (NRR) coming into play:
England must win at least two of their three remaining matches. That includes
beating Australia, and winning at least one of their two remaining games, against Sri
Lanka or South Africa.
– Australia to lose all three remaining matches. They already have four points, and
from West Indies’ point of view, they wouldn’t want any addition to that tally.
– Sri Lanka and South Africa to win no more than one of their two remaining
matches. Both teams currently have two points, and play each other on Saturday.
They also have games against England coming up, which means the team that wins
on Saturday should lose to England.
– Bangladesh must beat Australia, since Australia already have four. If they lose to
South Africa, then South Africa must in turn lose to England so that they don’t move
beyond four points.
If all of these happen, then West Indies can progress without run rates coming
into play. To start with, though, they need to keep their end of the bargain and win
their two remaining games – against Sri Lanka on November 4, and Australia on
November 6. Given that five more Group 1 matches would have happened by the
time they take the field again, they will have a pretty good idea of where they stand
before their next game.