Who will join India and New Zealand, from Group A, in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 semi-finals? Well, it will be a three-way race in Group B, featuring Afghanistan, Australia, and South Africa. Here's a look at the qualification scenarios. (AFG Vs ENG Highlights | Full Coverage | More Cricket News)
Afghanis♎tan defeated, or rathe♎r eliminated, England with a stunning win at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore in match 8 of the eight-team tournament. Powered by Ibrahim Zadran's competition-high score (177 off 146) and Azmatullah Omarzai's all-round show (41 off 31, 5/58), the Afghans beat England by eight runs in a high-scoring thriller.
With two games remaining in Group B, South Africa lead Australia on Net Run Rate, +2.140 to +0.475. Both🌠 teams have three points each from two matches each -- one win and a no result. Afghanistan are third with two po⛄ints -- one win and one defeat, and they have an NRR of -0.990. England are winless in two outings, and they can only have a maximum of two points.
India and New Zealand, meanwhile, made it simple in Group A. Both won their respective matches so far, thus eliminating hosts Pakistan and Bangladesh from the semi-final race. Indi🍌a and New Zealand will meet on Sunday (March 2, 2025♌) to decide the group winners.
Before diving into Group B qualificatio𒅌n scenarios, let's have a look at the two remaining📖 group fixtures:
Afghanistan vs Australia in Lahore on Friday
South Africa vs England in Karachi on Saturday
These two matches will decide the two remaining semi-fin♎alists. With that, here's a look at the five possible scenarios:
1. Australia and South Africa win
Considering the current form and historical record, Australia and South Africa will start favourites against Afghanistan and England, respectively. Win, and both teamsꩵ qualify for the semis. NRR will decide who take the top spot. Aussies will need a bigger winning margin⛎ to eclipse Proteas' NRR.
2. Afghanistan and England win
Conversely, if the scenario 1 script goes haywire, Afghanistan will win the group with four points, leaving Australia and South Africa fighting for the sec𒉰ond spot. Both will have three points 💦each, and the team with the higher NNR will advance to the knockouts.
3. Australia and England win
In such a scenario, Australia and South Afri🃏ca go through with five and three points, respectively. A🍷fghanistan and England will end with two points each.
4. Afghanistan and South Africa win
Afghanistan, with four points, will finish second ahead of Austജralia, a team they almost beat in the 2023 World Cup. South Africa will top with five points.
5. Washouts
If both matches are washed out, the status quo remains. Meaning, South Africa and Australia, wi🅰th four points each, advance to the semi-finals.
- If the Afghanistan vs Austr🌊alia match is reduced to a no result, the Aussies will finish with four🍬 points, and will qualify for the semis irrespective of what happens in the South Africa vs England match. There's a possibility of rain in Lahore.
- If🐬 the South Africa vs England match is a no result, the Proteas will qualify with four points, joining the winners of the Afghanistan vs Australia encounter. Karachi will be mostly sunny on Saturday.
