Australia on Tuesday became the third team to qualify for the Cricket World Cup semi-final after defeating Afghanistan by 3 wickets. After the heartbreaking loss, Afghanistan now remains at the same points as New Zealand and Pakistan which makes the semis race wide open.
With the three spots filled, the race is now for the final spot which still have 3 contenders.
Here’s a look at the semi-final qualification scenarios for the 3 teams:
Pakistan
Pakistan looked down and out after the first innings when New Zealand posted a mammoth 401 at Chinnaswamy Stadium. However, Fakhar Zaman’s stunning innings along with the help of rain, the team managed to keep their semi-final hopes alive.
With the win, Pakistan have now 8 points. However, they still are behind New Zealand due to inferior NRR.
For Pakistan to qualify:
- Afghanistan will have to lose their last game against South Africa.
- Sri Lanka will have to beat New Zealand.
- If NZ wins by 50 runs, Pak will need to win by 180 runs.
- If NZ wins by 1 run, Pak will need to win by 131 runs.
New Zealand
The loss against Pakistan was New Zealand’s fourth consecutive defeat in the tournament. However, their fate is still in their hands as they need to beat Sri Lanka by a significant margin to confirm their semi-final berth.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan remains sixth on the points table after defeat against Australia and are level with the likes of New Zealand, Pakistan with 8 points. Afghanistan will need to win against South Africa with a good margin and hope both New Zealand and Pakistan lose their respective games.
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