Australia stormed into the Champions Trophy 2025 semifinal after their match against Afghanistan was abandoned due to rain at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Friday, February 28. After sharing points, Australia sealed their semifinal berth as they finished their Group B campaign with four points from three matches. Afghanistan, despite accumulating three points from a win, a loss, and a draw, remains in contention for a semi-final berth, although their fate is now dependent on another match's outcome and mathematical miracle.
Here's Afghanistan's semifinal qualification scenario:
To qualify, Afghanistan require South Africa to lose their final Group B match against England in Karachi on Saturday, March 1. But here is a catch, Afghanistan will not only wish for South Africa's loss but also with a massive margin. If South Africa bat second, they must lose by a minimum of 207 runs. Alternatively, if England chase a target set by South Africa, they must do so within 11.1 overs, assuming a first innings total of 300 in both scenarios.
For Afghanistan to advance to the Champions Trophy semi-finals, England must defeat South Africa in a very specific manner. If England bats first, they would need to win by a margin of at least 207 runs. Conversely, if England bats second, they would have to chase down the target within 11.1 overs, assuming a first innings score of 300 in both scenarios.
Should either of these outcomes occur, both South Africa and Afghanistan would finish the group stage with three points each from their three matches. In this scenario, Afghanistan, led by Hashmatullah Shahidi, would secure the semi-final spot due to their superior net run rate.
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The outcome of the England versus South Africa match in Karachi holds immense implications for the Champions Trophy semi-final lineup. A washout would automatically secure South Africa's qualification, as they would finish with four points from three matches, joining Australia in the semi-finals. This scenario would unfortunately eliminate Afghanistan from contention. Meanwhile, if South Africa beat England, they will top the group standings. This victory would set them up to face the loser of Sunday's match between India and New Zealand in the semi-final stage.
Whichever team make it to the semifinal, they will join India, New Zealand and Australia in the high-voltage knock outs. The first semifinal will be played on March 4 while the second knock out game will be played on the following day on March 5.