World T20: Where each country stands

With every side now having played two matches of World T20, we have a better picture of who the tournament favourites are and who will be heading home after the group stage.

The top two sides from each Super 10s group will progress to the semi-finals, with the final scheduled for Kolkata on April 3.

Below, we take a look at which teams are flying high and which ones are struggling.

One foot in the semis

The West Indies and New Zealand are the only two undefeated teams so far in the World T20.

Following comprehensive wins over England and Sri Lanka, the West Indies, with a mix of genuine allrounders, crafty spin bowlers and explosive top-order batsmen, look like the team to beat in this tournament.

With few exceptions, their squad has a wealth of experience in the shortest format not just at international level but in domestic T20 leagues such as the Indian Premier League and the Big Bash League.

Quick Single: Black Caps wary of Pakistan pace threat

The men from the Caribbean will be sweating on the fitness of superstar opener Chris Gayle, who tweaked a hamstring against Sri Lanka and didn't bat – though he was prepared to bat if further wickets fell in that match.

In his absence, Andre Fletcher emerged as a genuine match-winner in his own right, adding to the Windies' swag of game-changers that also lists Dwayne Bravo, Andre Russell and Samuel Badree.

They next face South Africa and then Afghanistan in their remaining group matches.

Meanwhile, the Kiwis have been the surprise packets of the tournament, registering wins over heavyweights India and Australia.

Crucial to their success has been the spin duo of Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi, who have already taken 10 wickets between them.

If those two continue their hot form, look for the Black Caps to account for Pakistan and Bangladesh in their next two matches and finish top of Group 2.

Perhaps most interestingly for the Kiwis is the fact that their top order trio of Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson and Colin Munro – who came into the tournament in hot form – has thus far only showed flashes of brilliance, with relatively modest totals of 126 and 142 proving winning ones thanks to Santner, Sodhi and co.

Win or (probably) go home

A total of six sides are in logjam in the middle of the table across the two groups, with Australia, Sri Lanka, South Africa, England, Pakistan and India all having lost one and won one.

There are a few upcoming matches between these sides that therefore loom as huge clashes in the context of this World T20.

Among them are Australia’s game against Pakistan on Friday, England v Sri Lanka on Sunday morning (AEDT), as well as the final two group matches of the tournament – India v Australia and South Africa v Sri Lanka.

Quick Single: Full ICC World T20 schedule

The losers of these matches will make it difficult for themselves to make the semi-finals, however if the West Indies and New Zealand remain undefeated, a side with two wins and two losses could feasibly sneak into second position in either group – and what would a major international cricket tournament be without at least one team being knocked out by net-run-rate!

Quick Single: Zampa ready for Pakistan, India challenges

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Afghanistan and Bangladesh are winless in the Super 10s stage of the tournament having topped their groups in the qualifiers.

Despite coming up short against Sri Lanka and South Africa, the Afghans appear to be a team on the way and have won many fans with their gutsy performances against more credentialed opponents.

In particular, wicketkeeper Mohammad Shahzad has caught the eye with his burly frame, some lusty hitting and his assertion that, "I love playing Dale Steyn because Dale Steyn is not dangerous".

The more seasoned Bangladesh, on the other hand, have disappointed after upstaging Sri Lanka and Pakistan by finishing as runners-up of the recent Asia Cup.

Having accounted for the likes of Oman and the Netherlands in the qualifying stage, the Tigers haven’t been able to cut it with the bigger nations, notching losses to Pakistan and Australia.

Their cause hasn’t been helped by Taskin Ahmed and Arafat Sunny being ruled out with illegal bowling actions by the ICC mid-tournament, a decision that has severely depleted Bangladesh’s bowling stocks, and the late withdrawal of Tamim Iqbal against Australia owing to illness.