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After their sensational victory over England, Afghanistan now have a shot at the semi-final berth in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. This now means we have a three-way battle for the semi-final spot between Afghanistan, Australia and South Africa.
Group B Points table | ICC Champions Trophy
| Team | M | W | L | PT | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SA | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2.140 |
| AUS | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0.475 |
| AFG | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -0.990 |
| ENG | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | -0.305 |
Here is how the scenarios are currently in Group B.
We can check from the points table that South Africa are leading the Group B now with 3 points and a positive net run rate of 2.140. Meantime, Australia are following them with the same amount of points but a lesser NRR of 0.475.
On the other hand, Afghanistan are third with 2 points and a negative NRR of -0.990 with England getting knocked out of the tournament already.
Matches left in Group B
- Australia vs Afghanistan - 28 February 2025 - Lahore
- England vs South Africa - 1st March 2025 - Karachi
How can Afghanistan qualify for semis of Champions Trophy 2025?
As per the current situation, here are the below things that can happen.
If Australia and South Africa win
If both Australia and South Africa win against their opponents, they will qualify with five points each. That means, for Afghanistan to stay in the competition, they will have to beat Australia by any means.
If Australia and England win
If Australia win against Afghanistan and England win against South Africa, Aussies will reach the semis with five points while South Africa will qualify as the second best from Group B.
If Afghanistan and South Africa win
If the Afghans beat Australia, and South Africa also beat England, then South Affrica will qualify as the group topper with five points and Afghanistan with four points will also qualify as the second best.
If Afghanistan and England win
This is the most ideal situation for Afghanistan. If they can beat Australia and the England beat South Africa, Afghanistan will qualify as the group topper and the second position between Australia and South Africa will be decided on NRR.
South Africa are ahead in NRR at the points and this means for them to not qualify England will have to win with a big margin.
If Afghanistan vs Australia is washed out
That is where everything gets complicated. If Afghanistan vs Australia gets washed out due to rain, Australia with four points will qualify.
Then if South Africa gets beaten by England, both South Africa and Afghanistan will finish with three points. But, with the NRR advantage the Porteas have, they will likely to qualify from Group B. However, if South Africa win, they will qualify as the group topper with five points.