England lost its second match in the ICC Champions Trophy to Afghanistan by eight runs on Wednesday and was knocked out of the race to the semifinals.
South Africa, Australia, and Afghanistan are the teams which remain in contention for the last four from Group B. In the final round of fixtures in this group, South Africa faces England on March 1 while Australia takes on Afghanistan on February 28.
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Here is what the teams need to do to qualify for the semifinals:
AUSTRALIA (3 points)
Australia sits on three points and its safest route to the semifinals is by beating Afghanistan in the last group game.
If it loses to Afghanistan, Australia will need South Africa to lose its match against England by a big margin. This would ensure the Proteas’ NRR drops below Australia’s.
AFGHANISTAN (2 points)
The only way for Afghanistan to the semifinals is by beating Australia in the last match. In case it loses, Afghanistan will be knocked out of the Champions Trophy, and Australia and South Africa will go through to semifinals.
SOUTH AFRICA (3 points)
In case Australia beats Afghanistan, South Africa will automatically qualify.
In case Afghanistan beats Austrlaia, South Africa will need to beat England. It can also go through despite a loss if it makes sure its Net Run Rate does not drop below Australia’s.
