South Africa or New Zealand: Which Team Will Qualify For Final If First Semi-Final Is Washed Out?

The much-awaited fixture will be played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata from 7:00 PM IST. The toss will take place at 6:30 PM IST. SA are on a roll and they are yet to lose a game in the ongoing ICC event. Proteas won all four matches in the league stage. The runners of the 2024 T20 World Cup also defeated New Zealand in the league stage. They kicked off their Super 8 campaign with a big 76-run win over defending champions, India.

SA defeated Zimbabwe and West Indies in the next two games to remain undefeated in the Super 8 stage too. They qualified for the semi-final with six points at a strong NRR of +2.259. Needless to say, SA are favourites going into the contest. But they have a history of choking during the ICC events.

New Zealand won three out of their four league stage matches. They suffered a defeat against South Africa. Their first Super 8 game against Pakistan was washed out due to rain.

NZ registered a comfortable win over Sri Lanka in their second game while they suffered a defeat against England. Despite managing only one win, NZ maintained a healthy run-rate. They fetched 3 points at an NRR of +1.390.

NZ’s NRR did wonders for them and they qualified for the semi-final ahead of Pakistan. The Salman Agha-led side also fetched 3 points. But they had an NRR of -0.123. NZ made it to the semi-final ahead of Pakistan for having a better NRR than them.

Which team will qualify if South Africa vs New Zealand is washed out?

South Africa will punch their ticket to the final if their semi-final against New Zealand is washed out. The reason is simple: they finished ahead of NZ in the Super 8 stage.

SA topped the Group 2 points table while NZ finished second. England topped the Group 1 points table in the Super 8 stage. In case it rains, the ICC will make every effort to conduct a 10-over match. The match will go into the Reserve Day if no result is possible on Wednesday (March 4).