Afghanistan’s semi-final berth in the ICC Champions Trophy depends on the outcome of the match between England and South Africa today.
Yesterday’s rain-washed Afghanistan-Australia match saw both teams earn one point each, sending Australia through to the semi-finals while Afghanistan’s hopes were dashed.
To reach the semi-finals, Afghanistan will need to beat England, which has already been eliminated from the tournament, by a large margin. For example, if England sets a target of 301 runs, they will have to beat South Africa by 207 runs so that South Africa’s net run rate is lower than Afghanistan’s. This is a tough task, but this is Afghanistan’s only hope of reaching the semi-finals.
On the other hand, if the England-South Africa match is washed out due to rain, South Africa will earn one point and reach the semi-finals. In this situation, Afghanistan will not be able to reach the semi-finals.
India and New Zealand from Group A have already qualified for the semi-finals.
