ICC ODI World Cup 2023: Australia to meet South Africa in semifinal, New Zealand, Pakistan and Afghanistan fight for last semis spot.
In the 2023 ODI World Cup, one of the most remarkable innings came from Glenn Maxwell, who is being hailed as one of the greatest knocks in the tournament's 48-year history. Thanks to his double century, Australia secured their spot in the semifinals. Joining India and South Africa, Australia became the third team to advance to the semis, setting the stage for an exciting South Africa vs. Australia semifinal.
The remaining semifinal spot is still up for grabs, with New Zealand, Pakistan, and Afghanistan competing for it. Australia's 3-wicket win over Afghanistan at the Wankhede Stadium propelled them to 12 points, ensuring their place in the semis. New Zealand, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, all tied with 8 points, will play their final group stage games to determine the last knockout berth. New Zealand currently holds the fourth spot with the best Net Run Rate (NRR) among the three contenders.
ICC ODI World Cup 2023 semifinal qualification scenarios:
India:
India have already qualified for the semifinals.
South Africa:
South Africa have already qualified for the semifinals.
Australia:
Australia have already reached the semifinals.
New Zealand
New Zealand will face Sri Lanka in their final group game, which is a must-win clash after the Kiwis have lost four games in a row. Kane Williamson’s men will meet India in the semifinals if they beat Sri Lanka, and if Pakistan and Afghanistan fail to win their respective games.
The Kiwis have +0.398 NRR, while Babar Azam and Co. are further behind with +0.036. Afghanistan has the worst NRR among all three, at -0.338.
Pakistan:
Pakistan, on the other hand, has gone from nearly being eliminated to vying for a semifinal spot. They hope for New Zealand and Afghanistan to drop points in their final group games. If New Zealand beats Sri Lanka, Pakistan will not only have to defeat England but also secure a substantial NRR advantage to surpass the Kiwis.
Afghanistan:
Afghanistan faces a tough task, needing to beat South Africa in their final group game, with the worst NRR among the three chasing teams, a win alone won't guarantee their place in the semifinals. They'll need both New Zealand and Pakistan to lose their respective games to advance, or if the Kiwis and Pakistan win, Afghanistan must defeat South Africa by a significant margin to outperform the other teams on NRR.
Unfortunately, teams like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Netherlands, and England have already been ruled out of semifinal contention.
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 "WC 2023 semifinal qualification scenarios: Australia reach semis; New Zealand, Pakistan, Afghanistan in 3-way battle")
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