All four teams in Group B are on two points and it will be a straight shoot out in the final round of qualifiers on Friday for a spot in the Super 12s; watch West Indies vs Ireland (5am start) and Scotland versus Zimbabwe (9am start) live on Sky Sports Cricket on Friday.
Thursday 20 October 2022 15:52, UK
It's all to play for in Group B of the T20 World Cup, with all four teams vying for the final two places in the Super 12s.
Sri Lanka and the Netherlands have already qualified, with Scotland, Ireland, Zimbabwe and the West Indies looking to join them.
All four teams in Group B sit on two points, with one loss and one win each. Scotland are top on net run rate, with Zimbabwe sitting in second and Ireland bottom.
Ireland will need to beat the West Indies in Hobart to stand any chance of going through, while Scotland and Zimbabwe face the same equation at the same ground in the final game.
West Indies bounced back from the shock defeat they suffered against Scotland on October 17 and got the better of Zimbabwe with a 31-run win.
Ireland pulled of a stunning comeback to beat Scotland, after losing their opening match against Zimbabwe.
The situation is simple for all four teams, win and they are through, lose and they go home. The manner of any victory will decide where the two qualifiers finish in the group, with net run rate determining the final standings.
The team in first position (currently Scotland) will join India and Pakistan in Group 2, while second place will go into England's and Australia's group.
There is rain forecast in Australia on Friday evening, but this shouldn't impact the final qualifying matches, with sunny weather expected during the day.
If rain were to wash out both matches, Scotland and Zimbabwe would go through on net run rate, with the West Indies and Ireland heading home.
Scotland featured in the Super 12 stage of last year's T20 World Cup and with the win over West Indies, they have shown that last year's performances weren't a one-off.
Richie Berrington's side should have enough to beat Zimbabwe but the African side should not be underestimated, having impressed in their first two matches. All-rounder Sikandar Raza's performance could hold the key.
The Pakistan-born all-rounder scored a 48-ball 82 against Ireland in the first game and then picked up three wickets for just 19 runs against West Indies.
The West Indies recovered well from their loss against Scotland but will need to improve their batting display against Ireland, who successfully chased down 177 runs in their second match.
Scotland head coach Shane Burger believes his side are capable of beating anyone on their day ahead of the crunch match against Zimbabwe.
"Without focusing too much on the opposition, if we go out and play the way we know we can play, we know we can beat any team, which we did against the two-time world champions," he said.
"If we execute the way we know, hopefully it will send ripples through that Zimbabwe team. We can put a bit more pressure on them.
"We know Zimbabwe are a very, very good cricket team. We're going to have to bring our best skills possible."
The pressure is on the West Indies on Friday, according to Ireland captain Andy Balbirnie.
The only two-time champions of the T20 World Cup could make an early exit from the tournament if they lose in Hobart and Ireland's captain believes the West Indies are "expected to win".
"There's obviously a lot of pressure on the West Indies, coming in as group favourites," he said. "They're going to be expected to win, a lot of people are going to be expecting them to win.
"They've won the competition twice, they've got some hugely experienced T20 players, but we're a good team in our right too, we've played some pretty good cricket.
"There's some real confidence in the group after (beating Scotland), that was just really special to be there and be a part of and have friends and family there, it's just lifted the group even further.
"It'll be disappointing if we couldn't back it up because if we don't we'll be on the plane on Saturday. Hopefully we can produce something special."
Watch West Indies vs Ireland (5am start) and Scotland versus Zimbabwe (9am start) live on Sky Sports Cricket on Friday as the final two spots in the T20 World Cup Super 12 will be decided.
