World Cup seedings explained: Who Australia will play

Australia has long known the where and when of their Super Eight engagements at the T20 World Cup, and we now know who they will face in the next stage.

There will be no trans-Tasman showdown with New Zealand at this tournament after the team Australia beat in the 2021 T20 World Cup final was eliminated by Afghanistan's victory over Papua New Guinea today.

It means Australia will now face three subcontinent teams en route to the semi-finals in their bid to unify the holder of all three major men's ICC trophies.

The ICC introduced the concept of pre-tournament seedings for the first time at this event, meaning Australia has long known the venues and times where they will play their three Super Eight fixtures, provided they got the job done in the group stage.

They did just that, going through unbeaten, and knew who two of those opponents would be, even when there was still a dozen group stage fixtures still to be played.

Australia are now confirmed to play Bangladesh, Afghanistan and India in the Super Eights, after the Tigers secured the final spot in Group 1 after holding off a determined Nepal outfit on Sunday.

In previous tournaments, Australia could have expected to go through as the top seed for Group B after going unbeaten in four matches with victories over Oman, England, Namibia and Scotland.

But the ICC seeded Australia second in Group B, making whether they finish in top or second spot irrelevant for the Super Eight.

The seedings system was designed to give greater clarity to travelling fans grappling with logistics of moving between Caribbean islands.

But it has also created a system where there are a number of dead rubbers and results hypothetically open to manipulation.

For example, Australia's progression to and matchups in the Super Eight stage would have been unaffected if they lost to Scotland in their final Group B clash, although that result would have eliminated arch-rivals England.

As it turned out, Australia did their Ashes rivals a favour in the last Group B match by knocking out Scotland and helping the reigning champions qualify for the Super Eight.

ICC's pre-tournament seedings

New Zealand's elimination from the Super Eight stage means Afghanistan will take their C1 seeding, even if they finish second in the group, and the D2 seeding was snapped up by Bangladesh after Sri Lanka were bundled out early.

Ordinarily, the top finisher in Group C wouldn't be known until the final match of the group stage, when West Indies host Afghanistan in St Lucia on June 18. That match now takes on little significance, with no points or net run rate being carried through to the Super Eight stage at this event.

Group A

Qualified: India, USA 

Following Friday morning's washout between USA and Ireland, the two progressing from Group A have been decided. 

India will go through on top of the group while surprise packets USA will be venturing to the Caribbean for the next stage of the tournament. 

Pakistan's tournament ends early following their shock Super Over loss to the States earlier in the World Cup. 

Group B

Qualified: Australia, England

The Aussies have locked in their Super Eight spot and keep the B2 seed.

England's huge win over Oman lifted their NRR, and they also beat Namibia on Sunday morning. Even after that, they were left to sweat as Scotland racked up their highest ever T20 World Cup score with the bat then pushed the Aussies right into the final over, before falling agonisingly short. It ultimately meant England went ahead on Scotland on NRR, and hold their pre-tournament B1 seeding despite finishing second in the group. 

Group C

Qualified: Afghanistan, West Indies

The above two teams have already secured their passage to the Super Eights, with Afghanistan assured the C1 seeding that was held by New Zealand, and the West Indies taking C2. These two will face each other in the tournament's final group stage clash on Tuesday (10.30am AEST) but the result will mean nothing for the Super Eight stage.

The eliminated Black Caps side were left to face Uganda and Papua New Guinea in two dead rubber games before the long flight back to Auckland.

Group D

Qualified: South Africa, Bangladesh

The Proteas have quietly gone about their business, racking up wins against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and the Netherlands before surviving a scare to prevail over Nepal in St Vincent.

The D2 seed was up for grabs after Sri Lanka were eliminated after losses to South Africa and Bangladesh and a washout with Nepal. Bangladesh left it late to claim the final spot, defending 106 against Nepal in St Vincent on Sunday and they will now face Australia in their first Super Eight fixture in Antigua on Friday (June 21, 10.30am AEST).

That result knocked out the Netherlands, who needed Nepal to win and then beat Sri Lanka by a very healthy margin in their final match of Group D. Unfortunately, the Tigers' victory earlier in the night confirmed their fate and reduced their clash with Sri Lanka to a dead rubber.

How the Super Eights work

There are two groups of four teams in the Super Eight stage, meaning each team will play three matches. 

In Group 2, USA have secured the A2 seeding after upsetting Pakistan in the first round. Their washout against Ireland in Florida on Friday gave them enough points to progress while also knocking out Pakistan, while England have taken B1 spot after Australia got the job done against a valiant Scotland side.

The two top teams from each group in the Super Eight stage will qualify for the semi-finals, which will be held in Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago on June 26 and 27 respectively. The final will be held in Barbados on Saturday, June 29. Reserve days have been scheduled for both semi-finals and the final.

For a full breakdown of all the T20 World Cup fixtures, click here.

Australia's Super Eight Fixtures

21 June: v Bangladesh, Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua, 10.30am AEST

23 June: v Afghanistan, Arnos Vale Ground, St Vincent, 10.30am AEST

25 June: v India, Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, St Lucia, 12.30am AEST