Hashmatullah Shahidi's Afghanistan defeated Jos Buttler-led England cricket team in match 8 of the ongoing edition of the ICC Champions Trophy which was being played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, on February 26 (Wednesday). As this was a do-or-die game for both teams, this victory of the Afghan side eliminated the Three Lions from the mega tournament. However, there are still three teams running to seal the remaining two spots in the semi-finals.
Semi-final qualification scenario
Afghanistan will now be competing against Australia in their next game. Which has practically turned into a virtual knockout as well. The Asian side has two points after their win over the English team and after their previous game was washed out, the ussies are currently at the second spot in Group B points table with 3 points.
However, there is a very brink chance for Australia to still qualify after losing against Afghanistan but that is if England beat South Africa by some astronomical margin, so their net run rate comes below the Australian team. In one odd scenario, if rain washes out the AUS vs AFG game, Australia will have four points which will send them to the semi-final right away. On the other hand, Afghanistan can also reach the semis if England beat Proteas by a massive margin.
As for South Africa, they will reach the semi-final, if they win or draw their next game. They are currently on top of the points table as they have a really great net run rate. However, if they lose their game against England, they just need to hope that their loss doesn't come by a big margin and the AUS vs AFG clash has a result.
India and New Zealand already in the semi-final
The Indian cricket team and New Zealand have already sealed their spot in the semi-final after picking up two consecutive victories over Bangladesh and Pakistan. Both teams will face each other in their final group game on March 2 in Dubai. However, it will not have much effect on the scenario apart from their standings in the group.