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The Afghanistan cricket team has been a pleasant surprise in the ODI World Cup 2023. After their impressive 69-run victory over England at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, their confidence soared. They continued their winning streak with an emphatic eight-wicket win against Pakistan at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Then, they made light work of the Sri Lankan bowling attack at the MCA Stadium in Pune.
Currently placed sixth in the standings, Hashmatullah Shahidi's men have injected new life into the tournament on Indian soil. With three wins in their last four matches, Afghanistan are clearly on a roll.
However, as they enter their final three matches, Shahidi and his team face some critical tasks. First and foremost, they need to boost their net run rate (NRR), which currently stands at -0.718. Despite wins against Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and England, their NRR has yet to turn positive. They faced a significant loss to India and a 149-run defeat against New Zealand.
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Their upcoming match against the Netherlands on November 3 at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow holds immense importance for several reasons. While the Dutch team has been performing well, Afghanistan enter the match as the favourites. They need a win to bolster their chances of reaching the semi-finals and, simultaneously, enhance their NRR.
As it stands, Afghanistan lags behind in NRR among the top seven teams. While they are expected to give Australia and South Africa a tough challenge, it remains challenging for them to improve their NRR against the formidable cricket giants.
With India and South Africa appearing almost certain to secure semi-final berths, the battle intensifies among teams vying for the remaining two spots. Historically, Afghanistan were not considered favourites for semi-final qualification, having won only one match in each of the 2015 and 2019 editions.
However, the dynamics have shifted significantly throughout this tournament. Besides defeating the Netherlands, Afghanistan need to secure victories against South Africa and Australia to remain in contention for a top-four finish in the league stage.
(Powered by AI, Inputs by India Today)
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