Afghanistan’s recent victory against England in Lahore has significantly tightened the race for a semi-final spot in Group B of the Champions Trophy. They now join Australia and South Africa in contention, while India and New Zealand have already secured their places from Group A. The battle for the remaining semi-final spots in Group B is expected to be closely contested.
In a crucial match, Afghanistan defeated England by eight runs, eliminating the latter from semi-final contention. However, Afghanistan’s own qualification is not yet guaranteed. They will need to compete with Australia and South Africa for a place in the knockout stage. Australia and South Africa previously drew after their match was rained out.
Semi-Final Qualification Scenarios for Each Team:
Afghanistan:
Despite their win over England, Afghanistan currently sits third in Group B, trailing Australia and South Africa by one point. Their upcoming match against Australia in Lahore is essentially a quarter-final. A win for Afghanistan in this match will secure their semi-final qualification.
Australia:
Australia also needs a win to guarantee their semi-final spot. However, with a one-point lead over Afghanistan, Australia will qualify even if their match against Afghanistan is washed out due to rain, similar to what happened in their game against South Africa.
South Africa:
South Africa’s path to the semi-finals involves winning their final group match against England.
Alternatively, South Africa could still qualify if they lose to England and Australia defeats Afghanistan. However, if England wins their last game and Afghanistan defeats Australia, South Africa’s qualification will depend on net run rate (NRR) and will be compared with Australia’s NRR.
