Afghanistan has kept their hopes of reaching the semifinals alive with a resounding seven-wicket victory over Sri Lanka, securing their third win in the tournament and accumulating a total of six points. This outcome has put pressure on the top four teams, particularly New Zealand and Australia, as Afghanistan’s future performance will affect their standings.
To make it to the top four, Afghanistan needs three consecutive wins in their remaining matches. If either Australia or New Zealand suffers two or more losses, Afghanistan would secure a spot in the semifinals. Even a single loss by Australia would guarantee Afghanistan a place in the top four.
Also read: Uttar Pradesh Stadium ODI Records & Stats- Netherlands vs Afghanistan World Cup 2023
However, if Afghanistan loses to Australia and South Africa and wins against the Netherlands, they would require specific results from other matches to stay in contention. These results include:
- Bangladesh beating Pakistan (PAK vs BAN – BAN)
- South Africa defeating New Zealand (NZ vs SA – SA)
- India winning against Sri Lanka (IND vs SL – IND)
- Afghanistan triumphing over the Netherlands (NED vs AFG – AFG)
- Pakistan emerging victorious over New Zealand (NZ vs PAK – PAK)
- Australia winning against England (ENG vs AUS – AUS)
- Either India or South Africa winning in their match (IND vs SA – IND/SA)
- Bangladesh prevailing over Sri Lanka (BAN vs SL – BAN)
- Australia succeeding against Afghanistan (AUS vs AFG – AUS)
- England securing a win against the Netherlands (ENG vs NED – ENG)
- Sri Lanka defeating New Zealand (NZ vs SL – SL)
- South Africa winning against Afghanistan (SA vs AFG – SA)
- Australia emerging victorious over Bangladesh (AUS vs BAN – AUS)
- England prevailing over Pakistan (ENG vs PAK – ENG)
- India winning against the Netherlands (IND vs NED – IND)
In this scenario, both New Zealand and Afghanistan would have eight points, and the team with the superior net run rate will advance to the semifinals.