T20 World Cup 2022: Can Lorcan Tucker's knock cost Australia dearly in the long run?

On the one hand, it gave Australia their second win of the Super 12s and put them into second place in group one – level on points with first-placed New Zealand. 

However, the relatively small margin of victory against the plucky Irishmen means that Australia's net run rate barely improved – indeed, it's still in the negatives. 

Their NRR of –0.304 means that, should England beat New Zealand in their penultimate group one game by a close margin, they will leapfrog Australia given their superior NRR of +0.239. 

Thus, it is worth asking this question: How costly will Lorcan Tucker's spirited 71* off 48 balls be to Australia in the long run? 

Firstly, England's remaining two fixtures are tricky. They first take on New Zealand and then face defending Asia Cup champions Sri Lanka. 

Yes, the latter side might not seem like a massive issue given their current form – but they will pose a threat and have previous of defying the odds. 

Secondly, Australia's last match of the tournament is against Afghanistan. On paper, at least, that gives them a chance to improve their net run rate. 

But games are not won on paper, and this same belief about Afghanistan was applied to Ireland, only for them to scupper the Aussies' hopes of a big win. 

And this is the position of disadvantage Australia find itself in. They can win their final match and still not qualify because Afghanistan could do what Ireland did and dig in. 

On the other hand, England only needs to win both of their remaining games – even though that may be easier said than done – to guarantee themselves a spot in the semis. 

With all this in mind, Australia will rue that Tucker got as many runs as he did. He was especially considering that after four overs, Ireland was 25-5. 

A big win seemed in the offing at that point – but Australia's old inability to clean up the tail came back to haunt them big time. 

Even if one of the other Irish batters put their hand up and stayed in the game for a longer inning, it could have been even better for Tucker. 

But the simple fact is that a big win was there for the hosts. Tucker's innings didn't stop that from happening, but it did ensure the margin was much less. 

This means that the pressure on Australia to win is now doubled. They must not only win against Afghanistan but also significantly due to their negative NRR. 

For England, the equation is a lot simpler – two close wins will do the trick, mainly if Australia is again run close by Afghanistan. The margin of victory isn't as big of a concern for England. 

And should Australia find their title defence fizzle out before the semis, it will be hard to look beyond Tucker's heroics as the day their hopes came tumbling down.