The Australia-England clash was a must-win for both sides. But with neither team winning or losing, there are several permutations and combinations possible, writes Shashwat Kumar.
The mouth-watering clash between Australia and England was abandoned without a ball being bowled, leaving both teams stranded on three points apiece. Both teams have also played three matches and have only two fixtures left. While the Aussies face Afghanistan and Ireland in the games that remain, England have to play New Zealand and Sri Lanka. Ireland and New Zealand also have three points, although the Black Caps have played a game less (two as opposed to three). Sri Lanka, meanwhile, have two points from two matches and can get up to eight points if they win all their remaining encounters.
Australia, due to their heavy defeat to New Zealand, have the worst NRR (-1.555) in their group. They arguably have the easiest fixtures to navigate but as this T20 World Cup has shown, that does not necessarily guarantee victory. However, if they win all their games, they will be level with at least one of the top two on points, at which point NRR will come into play.
England, at least on that front, seem slightly better-placed. Their remaining games, against New Zealand and Sri Lanka might be against higher-quality sides. However, if they can win both of those matches, they would not only get up to seven points, but also ensure that one or both of these two teams, along with Australia, finish with the same or lower points tally than them. Their NRR (0.239), at the moment, is only bettered by New Zealand and Sri Lanka – both of whom they are yet to face.
So, a case can be made that Australia have perhaps lost a little more by virtue of this game being rained out. Their easier fixture list means they are arguably still in a better place than England, but the gap between the two has narrowed.
It seems that the abandoned game between Australia and England has affected New Zealand more than most. Had there been a result, the Kiwis would have had one less team to worry about. Had Australia lost, the Black Caps would have needed to win just two of their remaining games to ensure that they finished above their Trans-Tasman rivals. Similarly, an England defeat would have given New Zealand the leeway to lose against England and still finish above them by winning the rest of their matches. Now, a defeat, especially if it comes against England, could leave the door open for Jos Buttler’s men and Australia to sneak through at New Zealand’s expense, with NRR coming into play.
Australia and England have both lost out on a potential point to each other, yet, have gained one on New Zealand. Hence, there is no clear answer on which team has profited the most from this abandoned game. The more you look at it, though, the more it feels that England might just have been a tad luckier than the other two teams in question.
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