Unlike Group A which was supposed to be the tougher of the two groups in the first round, things are far more complex in Group B after Scotland’s win over Bangladesh on Sunday. The three teams – Scotland, Oman, and Bangladesh – are separated by just a margin of 0.113 in terms of NRR and the three teams have an even chance of qualifying. Here’s what each of the teams should do in order to qualify.
Scotland
Despite winning both their matches and sitting on top of the table, a slip up in their final Group B clash against the hosts Oman could potentially lead to their exit. A win against Oman will see them through to the Super 12 as the group topper. However, if Scotland loses even by a bare minimum margin of one run, they will be tied on four points each with Oman and Bangladesh (if Bangladesh beat PNG) and will get eliminated if Bangladesh beat PNG by a margin of three or more runs. Scotland plays Oman in the evening game on Thursday and hence will get to know the equation beforehand.
Oman
Despite the defeat against Bangladesh, Oman still have the fate in its own hands and all they need is a win against Scotland in the final game to qualify thanks to their superior NRR. (Oman would need to score 124+ should they win by a minimum margin of one run for their NRR to stay ahead of Scotland’s) If Oman loses to Scotland, they will need PNG to beat Bangladesh so that all three sides are tied on two points each with NRR to decide the qualifier. If the losing margin for Oman is seven runs after conceding 150, they would need Bangladesh to lose by at least four runs chasing 150 to PNG for Oman’s NRR to finish ahead of Bangladesh.
Bangladesh
If Bangladesh beat PNG and Oman lose to Scotland, NRR will not come into the picture, and Bangladesh will qualify to the Super 12 along with Scotland. If Bangladesh beat PNG by three runs or more, they will qualify for sure even if Scotland lose by the bare minimum margin of one run as Bangladesh would end with a higher NRR than Scotland with three teams tied on four points each. But if Bangladesh fall short by one run against PNG, Bangladesh would need Scotland to beat Oman by at least five runs (after both score 150 batting first) for them to sneak in by virtue of a better NRR than Oman after three teams get tied on two points each.
PNG
PNG will get eliminated irrespective of their result against Bangladesh if Oman beat Scotland as both Oman and Scotland would then get to four points each. The Barramundis need to beat Bangladesh by around 44 runs if they post 150 batting first for their NRR to sneak past that of Bangladesh’s and then hope Scotland beat Oman by at least 42 runs after posting 150 so that Oman’s NRR slip below that of PNG.