Australia Women’s Tri-Nation T20I Series, 2020 – Qualification scenarios for the final ahead of the last league game

India’s spirited performances in the Women’s Tri-Nation T20I series has kept the finalists undecided prior to the last round-robin match. India Women defeated England and Australia once each in this tournament but has a negative NRR of -0.071. The home team Australia Women haven’t been at their best in this competition as they won only one matches thus far and are placed at the bottom of the points table.

However, their NRR of +0.053 is the best among the three teams which is likely to help them in qualifying for the final. They will face England Women in the last league match on Sunday at the Junction Oval in Melbourne prior to the Bushfire match. England Women are well placed on the top of the table having won two of the three matches they played thus far. Their NRR of +0.048 also looks decent ahead of the big match.

Here we look at all the qualification scenarios for the final ahead of the last league game:

1. Australia Women: (Points: 2, NRR: +0.053)

Australia Women might be at the bottom of the points table but they are clear with their situation unlike the other two. The home team has to win the match against England at any cost. Even a win via Super over will be enough as their NRR is highest among all the three teams. Anything less than two points from this match will see their exit. Australia Women will be confident of winning this game as they won 25 of their last 29 T20I matches and have not lost back to back T20is in the last two years.

2. India Women: (Points: 4, NRR: -0.071)

India Women won’t be in action on Sunday but will be keenly following the game between Australia and England. The Indian team could be rooting an England win as Australia failing to get two points from this match will put them in the Wednesday’s final. India might not might an Australia win in this match but will need them to defeat England Women by a decent margin.

India Women’s NRR will be second best if Australia Women defeat England Women by 9+ runs or with 7+ balls to spare. This means if Australia post 150 batting first, England should not score more than 141 if India has to qualify or the final. The Indian team will be praying for Australia Women to chase down a target by 18.5 overs. They could take 1-2 balls more if they smash a boundary when scores are level.

3. England Women: (Points: 4, NRR: +0.048)

England Women have got the luxury of setting a target for themselves in order to qualify for the final. A victory in this match will obviously help England in making it to the finals by knocking out Australia. However, in case of struggling in the second innings, they can reassess their target. If England is chasing on Sunday, they need to ensure they will be losing the game by less than 9 runs.

This means if England is chasing 141 for a win, they will need only 132 to qualify for the final by maintaining a better run rate than India. In case of defending a total, England should be capable enough of taking the match into the last over. Australia should not chase the target in less than 19 overs if England Women have to play Wednesday’s final.