Australia has secured a spot in the semi-finals of the Cricket World Cup 2023 with a remarkable win over Afghanistan. Despite a challenging target of 292 runs and a difficult situation at 91/7, Glenn Maxwell’s unbeaten innings of 201 turned the game around.
Now, Australia joins India and South Africa in the semi-finals, leaving one spot open for four teams: New Zealand, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the Netherlands. The race for this last semi-final spot has become intense in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.
Here’s a breakdown of the qualification scenarios for each of these teams:
New Zealand: New Zealand is in fourth place with 8 points from 8 matches and a net run rate (NRR) of +0.398. Their fate depends on their upcoming match against Sri Lanka on November 9. If they win, they will have 10 points and a good chance of qualification, provided Pakistan and Afghanistan don’t win their last matches by large margins to improve their NRR. If New Zealand loses, they’ll need both Pakistan and Afghanistan to lose their matches since they are all tied on points.
Pakistan: Pakistan is in fifth place with 8 points and an NRR of +0.036. Their qualification depends on the result of the New Zealand vs. Sri Lanka match. If Pakistan wins against England on November 11 and New Zealand loses to Sri Lanka, Pakistan can qualify. If New Zealand wins, Pakistan must secure a win against England by a significant margin. If they lose, their chances are slim unless both New Zealand and Afghanistan lose, with New Zealand losing by a significant margin.
Afghanistan: Afghanistan is currently in sixth place with 8 points but faces a challenge due to their poor NRR. Their last match is against South Africa on November 10. To qualify, Afghanistan must hope for both New Zealand and Pakistan to lose, or they must beat South Africa by a substantial margin and focus on improving their NRR. If Afghanistan loses, their chances of advancing are effectively over.
Netherlands: The Netherlands is in ninth place with 4 points from 7 matches. Their chances are nearly impossible. They have two remaining fixtures against England on November 8 and India on November 12. To have any chance, they must not only win both matches convincingly but also rely on New Zealand, Pakistan, and Afghanistan losing their last games. If they don’t win both matches, they will be eliminated from the tournament.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and England have already been eliminated from the competition.
