Jos Buttler’s side know that a win against Sri Lanka should ensure their continued progression in the tournament down under, although a victory will not automatically guarantee them a spot in the last four.
Rain has been England’s nemesis in the 2022 World Cup with a shock defeat to Ireland on the Duckworth–Lewis method, before their blockbuster showdown with Australia was abandoned without a single ball being bowled causing the points to be shared.
This put England on the back foot in the group but the team emerged victorious from their must-win match with New Zealand on Tuesday to set up the crucial match this weekend.
But what exactly do England need to do against Sri Lanka to qualify for the semi-finals of the T20 Cricket World Cup? Here is your full lowdown of the permutations.
How can England qualify for the T20 World Cup semi-finals?
England sit level on points with Australia and New Zealand with just one game remaining for each team.
New Zealand play Ireland in the early hours of the morning before hosts Australia take on Afghanistan, with both of the semi-hemisphere teams heavy favourites to win their matches.
An England victory against Sri Lanka on Saturday (8am start time) would see them advance to the semi-finals if one of New Zealand and Australia lose on Friday.
However, if England, Australia and New Zealand all win, then the two teams qualifying from the group would be determined by net run rate.
New Zealand currently have the best net run rate (+2.233), followed by England (+0.547) and then Australia (-0.304).
If England beat Sri Lanka, then Australia would then have to record a heavy win against Afghanistan.
What is net run rate?
Net run rate in cricket is often compared with goal difference in football.
It is calculated by taking the average number of runs a team score per over, minus the average number of runs per over scored against them.
The method measures how quickly teams accumulate and concede runs instead of the margin of victory.
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