Afghanistan’s cricket team significantly improved their chances of making it to the Cricket World Cup 2023 semi-finals by securing a comfortable seven-wicket victory over the Netherlands in Lucknow on Friday. This victory marked Afghanistan’s fourth win in the tournament, pushing them ahead of Pakistan to claim the fifth position in the standings with eight points. Notably, they now share the same number of points as New Zealand, although New Zealand leads based on Net Run Rate (NRR). Australia, with eight points as well, holds the third position but has played only six matches so far.
Afghanistan’s upcoming matches against South Africa and Australia in the group stage will play a critical role in determining their fate. Winning both matches would propel them to 12 points. If New Zealand also secures victories in their remaining two matches, a tie in points would arise, and the No. 4 position would be decided by NRR. Additionally, Australia’s performance in their remaining games can affect the qualification scenarios for both New Zealand and Afghanistan.
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Unfortunately, this outcome is unfavorable for Pakistan. Led by Babar Azam, they currently have 6 points from 7 matches and can reach a maximum of 10 points by winning their remaining games. In this case, Pakistan’s progress in the competition will hinge on the results of Australia, New Zealand, and Afghanistan, and they would need substantial victories to boost their NRR.
As for the current standings, India leads the points table with 14 points, while South Africa holds the second position with 12 points.