Zimbabwe and Netherlands become last 2 teams to qualify for T20 World Cup 2022

Netherlands beat USA by seven wickets for victory in their semi-final after restricting them to 138 in 19.4 overs even as Zimbabwe held of a valiant PNG by 27 runs.

Zimbabwe and Netherlands have become the last two teams to qualify for the T20 World Cup 2022 with their respective wins in the semi-finals of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Qualifier B on Friday (July 15). Netherlands fought well to see off a spirited effort from USA. They beat USA by seven wickets for victory in their semi-final after restricting them to 138 in 19.4 overs even as Zimbabwe held of a valiant PNG by 27 runs.

It was a dream start for the USA, who were hoping to make their first global ICC tournament. The in-form Steven Taylor and skipper Monank Patel laid a solid foundation with a 51-run opening stand from in just five overs. Paul van Meekeren drew the first blood for the Netherlands with an all-important wicket of Taylor, who fell for 26 – his lowest score in the tournament so far. Unfortunately for the USA, the wicket triggered a collapse. 

Chasing 139, the Netherlands got off to a shaky start, having lost their opener Stephan Myburgh for a duck to Saurabh Netravalkar. After the early hiccup, Max O'Dowd and Bas de Leede batted with caution. In the end, captain Scott Edwards took the side through to a second consecutive ICC Men's T20 World Cup appearance. 

In the other semi-final, the tournament hosts Zimbabwe's decision to have a bat first turned out to be a fruitful one. The experienced duo of Regis Chakabva and skipper Craig Ervine provided a good start, with the former adopting an aggressive approach. Chakabva struck the first boundary of the match in the very first over, and followed that up with a flurry of fours – three back-to-back off Sema Kamea. An over later, he smacked a six, looking even more dangerous. The middle-order contributed with valuable runs, helping their side post a strong 199/5 from the allotted 20 overs. PNG could only manage 172/8 after 20 overs, falling short by 27 runs. The home crowd went wild as Zimbabwe sealed their place in the marquee event in Australia.

Confirmed teams:

Hosts  - Australia (defending champions)

Top 11 teams from the 2021 ICC Men's T20 WC  - Afghanistan, Bangladesh, England, India, Namibia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies

Top two teams from Global Qualifier A  - Ireland and United Arab Emirates

Top two teams from Global Qualifier B  -  Netherlands and Zimbabwe