Having nearly secured a Champions Trophy 2025 semi-final spot, South Africa will take on England in their final league game on Saturday to put an official stamp on their entry. Australia have already made it to the semi-finals of the tournament from Group B, with the Proteas are just below them at the second spot in the points table. Unless the Temba Bavuma-led side loses to England by a massive margin, they will enter the semi-finals. This means a win, even by the narrowest margin, will be more than enough for them to play in the knockout round.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Afghanistan are the third team in contention for the semi-finals from Group B but practically their chances are very bleak. As the equation is, England need to beat South Africa by at least 207 runs or chase down the target within 11.1 overs (assuming a first innings total of 300 in both cases) for Afghanistan to qualify.
A total of 10 matches in Champions Trophy 2025 have taken place so far. Out of them, 8 have been played in Pakistan and three of them have been washed out due to rain in the country. What happens if rain plays spoilsport in the South Africa vs England game as well? While sharing of points would ensure the Proteas an entry into the next round, how would the semi-final line-ups be?
If rain washes out the game between South Africa and England, the Temba Bavuma-led side will reach to four points, equal to that of Australia. South Africa’s better net run rate (NRR), +2.140, will see them finish at the top spot in that case. Australia’s NRR is +0.475. Notably, in case of no result for a game, a team’s NRR remains unaffected.
Now if India finish at the top of the table in Group A, they will face Australia in the semi-finals of the tournament. This scenario will see South Africa and New Zealand coming up against each other in the knockout round.
If the Rohit Sharma-led side ends at the second position, it will play against South Africa in the final 4, with Australia taking on the Blackcaps.
India and New Zealand face each other in their final league game on March 2 at Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The result of the game will also finalise the finishing positions of the two teams in the Group A table.
Whichever game India play will take place at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on March 4, while the other semi-final will be hosted by Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on March 5.
from: NDTV Sports-Latest