Everything you need to know about the groups, teams, fixtures and structure of the Super 12 stage of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021.
The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 goes up a gear on Saturday as the Super 12 stage kicks off with a mouth-watering double-header that sees four Group 1 teams start their campaigns.
The final groups were not settled until the last day of the First Round with Namibia’s win over Ireland earning them the second qualifying spot from Group A, entering Group 2 alongside India, Pakistan, New Zealand, Afghanistan and Group B winners Scotland.
Sri Lanka, who topped Group A, go into Group 1 alongside England, Australia, South Africa, West Indies and Group B qualifiers Bangladesh.
From here on in it is a battle of the very best in T20I cricket with only the top two from each group to reach the semi-finals.
Ahead of the opening match of the stage, between Australia and South Africa at Abu Dhabi, here’s everything you need to know about the Super 12 phase…
THE GROUPS
Group 1
England, Australia, South Africa, West Indies, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh
Group 2
India, Pakistan, New Zealand, Afghanistan, Namibia, Scotland
KEY DATES
Group 1 commences – 23 October
The Super 12 stage will get underway in Abu Dhabi on 23 October, with the Group 1 contest between Australia and South Africa. This will be followed up with an evening clash between England and West Indies in Dubai.
First Round qualifiers Sri Lanka and Bangladesh then start their Super 12 campaign on 24 October at Sharjah.
Group 2 commences – 24 October
Group 2 will commence with a heavyweight clash between India and Pakistan in Dubai on 24 October at 6pm local time.
Pakistan then take on New Zealand in Sharjah on 26 October, in a tough start for the 2009 champions. Afghanistan begin their campaign on 25 October at Sharjah, taking on First Round Group B winners Scotland.
Read: Sri Lanka vs Netherlands | Talking Points
Group 1 concludes – 6 November
Group 1 will conclude on 6 November with matches between Australia and West Indies in Abu Dhabi, and England and South Africa in Sharjah.
Group 2 concludes – 8 November
The group will conclude on 8 November, with India taking on Namibia.
Semi-finals – 10 November and 11 November
The first semi-final will be held in Abu Dhabi on 10 November at 6pm local time. The second semi-final will be hosted by Dubai on 11 November. Both semi-finals have reserve days.
The Final
The tournament reaches its conclusion on 14 November at Dubai International Stadium.
The points system
As was the case in the First Round, the following points system will apply in the Super 12 stage:
Win – Two points
Tie, no result or abandoned: One point
Loss or forfeit: Zero points.
TEAMS
Group 1
ENGLAND
ICC T20I ranking: 1st
Squad
Eoin Morgan (c), Moeen Ali, Jonathan Bairstow, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Tymal Mills, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
Reserves: Liam Dawson, James Vince, Reece Topley
Fixtures
23 Oct – v West Indies
27 Oct – v Bangladesh
30 Oct – v Australia
1 Nov – v Sri Lanka
6 Nov – v South Africa
Key player – Jos Buttler
Buttler is considered one of the best finishers in the world in the limited-overs formats, so when England decided to move him up the order after his opening exploits in franchise cricket there were a few eyebrows raised.
Three years since that decision, Buttler has gone on to become one of the best T20I openers around and has even bettered his numbers as a batter, averaging 47.17 at a strike rate of 147.97, compared to his 23.71 and 133.33 batting in the middle-order.
Read: Sri Lanka crush the Netherlands to make it 3 out of 3
AUSTRALIA
ICC T20I ranking: 7th
Squad
Aaron Finch (c), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins (vc), Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa
Reserves: Dan Christian, Nathan Ellis, Daniel Sams
Fixtures
23 Oct – v South Africa
28 Oct – v Sri Lanka
30 Oct – v England
4 Nov – v Bangladesh
6 Nov – v West Indies
Key player – Glenn Maxwell
Across international cricket’s three formats, T20Is are the ones that can most often be swung in the space of a handful of deliveries. It makes batters with the ability to clear the ropes regularly invaluable. Having one that catches fire early in the tournament, can make or break a team’s campaign.
In Maxwell, Australia have one of the most inventive and explosive batters in the game. He boasts the best strike rate of anyone who has batted at least 20 times in T20I cricket, scoring at a strike rate of 158.92. That number goes up to 160 in T20 World Cups – a number bettered only by Darren Sammy in tournament history (minimum 125 balls).
SOUTH AFRICA
ICC T20I ranking: 5th
Squad
Temba Bavuma (c), Keshav Maharaj, Quinton de Kock (wk), Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen
Reserves: George Linde, Andile Phehlukwayo, Lizaad Williams
Fixtures
23 Oct – v Australia
26 Oct – v West Indies
30 Oct – v Sri Lanka
2 Nov – v Bangladesh
6 Nov – v England
Key player- Tabraiz Shamsi
Any team boasting the No.1 T20I bowler in the world would make him central to their tournament plans but that will be especially the case for South Africa when it comes to Shamsi.
The left-arm wrist-spinner has been nigh on unplayable in 2021, with 28 wickets at 12.85 and an economy of 5.53 for the calendar year. That’s the most wickets of any bowler, with the best economy of any of the top 10 wicket-takers and second-best average in that same group. Across his 17 T20Is this year, he has gone for less than a run-a-ball 10 times and four or less and over six times.
WEST INDIES
ICC T20I ranking: 9th
Squad
Kieron Pollard (c), Nicholas Pooran (vc), Akeal Hosein, Dwayne Bravo, Roston Chase, Andre Fletcher, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Evin Lewis, Obed McCoy, Lendl Simmons, Ravi Rampaul, Andre Russell, Oshane Thomas, Hayden Walsh jnr
Reserves: Darren Bravo, Sheldon Cottrell, Jason Holder, Gudakesh Motie
Fixtures
23 Oct – v England
26 Oct – v South Africa
29 Oct – v Bangladesh
4 Nov – v Sri Lanka
6 Nov – v Australia
Key player – Andre Russell
There is no player in all of cricket that could be compared to Andre Russell. Boasting a T20I batting strike rate of 156.33, no chase will be out of reach for the all-rounder, and no opposition will feel comfortable until he’s back in the dugout.
A member of the Team of the Tournament at the last T20 World Cup, Russell was also a member of the successful 2012 tournament campaign and can bank on nearly 400 T20 appearances around the world.
SRI LANKA
ICC T20I ranking: 10th
Squad
Dasun Shanaka (c), Kusal Janith Perera, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya De Silva, Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka, Avishka Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Chamika Karunaratne, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera, Lahiru Kumara, Maheesh Theekshana, Akila Dananjaya, Binura Fernando
Fixtures
24 Oct – Bangladesh
28 Oct – Australia
30 Oct – South Africa
1 Nov – England
4 Nov – West Indies
Key Player – Wanindu Hasaranga
For someone who made his international debut in 2019 and has played only 25 T20Is, Wanindu Hasaranga has quickly become Sri Lanka’s most important player in the shortest format of the game.
Currently ranked second in the MRF Tyers ICC T20I rankings for bowlers, Hasaranga is Shanaka’s go-to player when the going gets tough. In 27 games so far, the right arm wrist spinner has picked up 39 wickets at an average of 15.20 with an economy of just 6.39.
He also showed his worth with the bat for Sri Lanka in the First Round and will be hoping to inspire his nation to a repeat of their 2012 triumph.
BANGLADESH
ICC T20I ranking: 6th
Squad
Mahmud Ullah (c), Mohammad Naim Sheikh, Soumya Sarkar, Liton Kumer Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Afif Hossain, Nurul Hasan Sohan, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Shaif Uddin, Shamim Hossain
Reserves: Animul Islam Biplob, Rubel Hossain
Fixtures
24 October – Sri Lanka
27 October – England
29 October – West Indies
2 November – South Africa
4 November – Australia
Key player – Shakib Al Hasan
One of T20I cricket’s greatest ever players, Shakib Al Hasan has already been exceptional in this T20 World Cup. The all-rounder has been the Player of the Match in each of Bangladesh’s Round 1 victories and has already taken nine wickets in the tournament and scored more than 100 runs.
Even without that, there’s the small matter of him being Men’s T20I cricket’s greatest wicket-taker with 115 to his name, alongside in excess of 1800 runs.
GROUP 2
INDIA
ICC T20I ranking: 2nd
Squad
Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Rahul Chahar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammad Shami
Reserves: Shreyas Iyer, Deepak Chahar, Axar Patel
Fixtures
24 Oct – v Pakistan
31 Oct – v New Zealand
3 Nov – v Afghanistan
5 Nov – v Scotland
8 Nov – v Namibia
Key player – Virat Kohli
Kohli has made this tournament his own over the past two editions, being crowned Player of the Tournament both times.
With an average in excess of 50 in the format, the Indian skipper will be at the top of opposition plans whenever they take on the men in blue.
If he gets going, an already impressive Indian team go to a whole new level.
PAKISTAN
ICC T20I ranking: 3rd
Squad
Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan (vc), Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shoaib Malik
Reserves: Khushdil Shah, Shahnawaz Dahani, Usman Qadir
Fixtures
24 Oct – v India
26 Oct – v New Zealand
29 Oct – v Afghanistan
2 Nov – v Namibia
7 Nov – v Scotland
Key player – Babar Azam
The star player of the side as well as their leader, Azam will be tasked with the responsibility of scoring the majority of the runs along with other experienced campaigners Mohammad Hafeez and Mohammad Rizwan. He will also have to be on his A-game in terms of tactics on the field while manoeuvring his bowlers.
Currently ranked No.2 in the world in the ICC MRF Tyres T20I player rankings for batters, Babar boasts a highly impressive record in the shortest format of the game. He has scored 2204 runs in 61 games at an average of 46.89 and striking at 130.64. He has 20 half-centuries and 1 century to his name.
NEW ZEALAND
ICC T20I ranking: 4th
Squad
Kane Williamson (c), Todd Astle, Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert (wk), Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee
Reserves: Adam Milne
Fixtures
26 Oct – v Pakistan
31 Oct – v India
3 Nov – v Scotland
5 Nov – v Namibia
7 Nov – v Afghanistan
Key player – Trent Boult
Five years on from their last campaign, Boult has cemented himself as a true three-format bowler, with success in the shortest form the final feather in the cap. Mostly bowling in the Powerplay, the 32-year-old’s ability to swing the white ball will dictate New Zealand’s success, with the odd death over thrown in for good measure.
Taking a wicket inside every three overs at T20I level, Boult has also developed his run-saving abilities in recent years, with an economy of 8.14 since January 2020, down from 8.64 in the first six years of his international career.
AFGHANISTAN
ICC T20I ranking: 8th
Squad
Mohammad Nabi (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Hazratullah Zazai, Usman Ghani, Mohammad Shahzad, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Asghar Afghan, Gulbadin Naib, Najibullah Zadran, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Hamid Hassan, Farid Ahmed Malik, Naveen ul Haq
Reserves: Sharafuddin Ashraf, Samiullah Shinwari, Dawlat Zadran, Fazal Haq Farooqi
Fixtures
25 Oct – v Scotland
29 Oct – v Pakistan
31 Oct – v Namibia
3 Nov – v India
7 Nov – v New Zealand
Key player – Rashid Khan
One of the premier spinners in international cricket, Rashid will be the key weapon in Afghanistan’s armoury. Apart from his genius with the ball, Rashid will also have a vital role to play with the bat with his lower-order cameos and will also be expected to contribute in the field. As a senior member of the squad, the spinner will also play a leadership role.
The leggie has an exceptional record in international T20 cricket, having picked up 95 wickets in only 51 matches at an average of 12.63. He will undoubtedly view the World Cup as an opportunity to further cement his legacy as one of the greatest-ever players in the shortest format of the game.
SCOTLAND
ICC T20I ranking: 14th
Squad
Kyle Coetzer (c), Richard Berrington, Dylan Budge, Matthew Cross (wk), Josh Davey, Ally Evans, Chris Greaves, Michael Leask, Calum Macleod, George Munsey, Safyaan Sharif, Hamza Tahir, Craig Wallace, Mark Watt, Brad Wheal
Reserves: Michael Jones, Chris Sole
Fixtures
26 October – v Afghanistan
28 October – v Namibia
3 November – v New Zealand
5 November – v India
8 November – v Pakistan
Key player: Josh Davey
Josh Davey has been the star of Scotland’s campaign, with eight wickets so far at an average of 8.37 and economy of 5.82.
The big challenge for the quick will be stepping up now that is a battle of the best of the best. Encouragingly for the Scots, he has already shown he can take it to a team familiar with this stage of the tournament, taking 1/24 in their big win over Bangladesh at the start of the tournament.
NAMIBIA
ICC T20I ranking: 19th
Squad
Gerhard Erasmus (c), Stephen Baard, Karl Birkenstock. Michau du Preez, Jan Frylinck, Zane Green, Nicol Lofie-Eaton, Bernard Scholtz, Ben Shikongo, JJ Smit, Ruben Trumpelmann, Michael van Lingen, David Wiese, Craig Williams, Pikky Ya France
Reserves: Mauritius Ngupita
Fixtures
27 October – vs Scotland
30 October – vs Afghanistan
2 November – vs Pakistan
5 November – vs New Zealand
8 November – vs India
Key player: David Wiese
The all-rounder has been a key component in Namibia’s progress to the Super 12 stage, producing with both bat and ball in Round 1 to play a crucial part in both of his team’s wins.
Wiese stonked a jaw-dropping 66* against Netherlands in the second game, just when it looked like the match was slipping away from his side, helping secure victory with an over to spare.
And Wiese was out in the middle again to produce a powerful late knock against Ireland, hitting the winning boundary in his 28* off just 14 deliveries as the African side made it through at their opponents’ expense.
He’s handy with the ball too, taking 2/22 against the Irish to help tie them down in the middle overs.
