NEW DELHI: Riding on a 'big show' from Glenn Maxwell, Australia on Tuesday booked their berth in the semi-finals of the ongoing ICC ODI World Cup. Australia assured themselves a top three finish with the win and a semi-final date with South Africa.
With India already secured top spot in the standings, the only semis spot left now is for the fourth place finishers in the points table, who will be the opponent of the hosts in the last-four stage.
Three teams are still vying for the last remaining spot in the knock-out stage. New Zealand, Pakistan and Afghanistan have to win their final league matches and hope to win the battle of net run rates (NRR) to make the cut. Any team, among the three, who lost their last league match will fall behind in the race.
Here are a few scenarios to determine the opponent of the undefeated India in the all-important semi-final:
Scenario 1
If New Zealand beat Sri Lanka on Thursday, they will be the frontrunner to face India in the semifinal. The Kiwis (+0.398) have the best NRR among the three, followed by Pakistan (+.036) and Afghanistan (-0.338).
Afghanistan play South Africa, who are already assured of a top three finish, on Friday and they will need one of their biggest wins ever to compensate for their negative NRR. So, in all probability their chances to reach the semis will end with the New Zealand victory.
Pakistan play their last league match against England on Saturday, after New Zealand and Afghanistan conclude their round-robin campaigns. And they will know the exact margin of victory required to go past the Kiwis in the race. But a big win for the Kiwis against the Lankans will shut the door for them too as they are behind on NRR.
1/10:Maxwell's stunning 201* guides Australia to World Cup semi-finals
PTI
2/10:Maxwell's 201* leads Australia to victory
Glenn Maxwell's stunning 201 not out guided Australia into the semi-finals of the World Cup as they snatched a sensational three-wicket victory from the jaws of defeat against Afghanistan.IANS
3/10:Maxwell becomes third to hit a World Cup double ton
Glenn Maxwell's 201 not out included 21 fours and 10 sixes, making him only the third player in World Cup history to score a double century.PTI
4/10:Maxwell's reprieve on 33 proves costly
Glenn Maxwell was dropped on 33 by Afghanistan's fielder, and he made them pay with a remarkable innings that led Australia to victory.PTI
5/10:Maxwell's highest ODI score
Glenn Maxwell's unbeaten 201 was his highest score in one-day internationals and his second century of the World Cup.PTI
6/10:Maxwell & Cummins secure victory
Glenn Maxwell and Pat Cummins shared an unbroken eighth-wicket partnership of 202 runs to guide Australia to victory.AFP
7/10:Maxwell overcomes cramp
Glenn Maxwell suffered from cramp during his innings but continued to dominate Afghanistan's bowlers and finished the match with nearly three overs to spare.PTI
8/10:Maxwell's extraordinary reverse hit
Glenn Maxwell showcased his wide range of shots, including an extraordinary reverse hit for six off paceman Azmatullah Omarzai.PTI
9/10:Zadran scores first World Cup century
Ibrahim Zadran scored his first World Cup century, making 129 not out in Afghanistan's total of 291-5.AFP
10/10:Afghanistan's fightback falls short
Afghanistan fought hard but fell short as Glenn Maxwell's unbeaten 201 guided Australia to victory in a thrilling World Cup encounter.PTIScenario 2
If New Zealand lose to Sri Lanka and Afghanistan win against South Africa. Pakistan can go past the Kiwis with a win against England. Then Pakistan and Afghanistan will have 10 points each and New Zealand 8.
With Pakistan’s NRR being much better than Afghanistan, the latter will not be able to stop a mouth-watering India vs Pakistan semi-final clash.
Scenario 3
If all three lost their final matches. They all will finish on 8 points. Again, NRR will come into play and the advantage will be with New Zealand, who are already ahead in the points table on superior NRR over Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Scenario 4
If New Zealand's last match against Sri Lanka is washed out due to rain, then a win for Pakistan against England will take them ahead of the Kiwis in the standings with 10 points. Win for Afghanistan will also take them to 10 points and NRR will come into play again to decide the semi-finalists. Pakistan will have an advantage there.
If rain washed out all their last games, then the Kiwis will go through on a superior net run rate.
So, the possibility of an India vs Pakistan semi-final clash mostly depends on New Zealand game against Sri Lanka on Thursday.
