LESS than 100 days are left for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia, due to start on the 16th of October. Meanwhile, the final two teams in the tournament have been confirmed. Netherlands and Zimbabwe have sealed their place for the perennial tournament.

The Netherlands beat the United States of America, while Zimbabwe beat Papua New Guinea in the semi-final matches of the World Cup Qualifier B.

The first semi-final saw Zimbabwe take on Papua New Guinea. After winning the toss, Zimbabwe decided to bat first. Riding on 29-ball 42 from Wesley Madhevre, Zimbabwe posted a mammoth score of 199 runs on the board. For PNG, Sese Bau and Charles Amini picked up 2 wickets each.

In pursuit of the score, PNG lost a wicket on the very first ball of the innings. Three wickets fell for only 34 runs but Tony Ura played a sensational knock of 66 runs to 35 balls to keep the team in the game. PNG had scored 139 runs in 15 overs. However, once Ura got out, they fell apart.

They ended up losing the game by 27 runs. The second semi-final match saw the USA take on the Netherlands. The USA chose to bat first after winning the toss and got off to a flyer. They accumulated 52 runs in 5.1 overs before losing wickets in quick succession.

Wickets kept falling in quick intervals and they were, eventually, bundled out for 138 runs on the board. The Dutch batters walked out to bat and got off to a disastrous start as they lost their first wicket on the third ball of the innings.

But the innings were held together by Bas De Leede who took the attack on USA bowlers as the other batters batted around him. The Netherlands chased down the total in 19 overs as they sealed a spot in the T20 World Cup 2022.

Zimbabwe and Netherlands will battle it out with the other 6 teams to further qualify for the Super 12 stage of the tournament.