Cricket World Cup 2023: What 9 teams need to do to qualify for semifinals

With 14 matches still to be played at the league stage, the race for the last four berths remains wide open

Trends Desk

Published: Wed 1 Nov 2023, 5:44 PM

Pakistan’s chances of qualifying for the World Cup semifinals remained intact after they got the better of Bangladesh by seven wickets on Tuesday. With 14 matches still to be played at the league stage, the race for the semifinal berths remains wide open.

Hosts India are currently the best-placed side to reach the next stage while Bangladesh are the first team to be eliminated from the competition. Let us take a look at what exactly the teams need to do to earn a spot at the last-four stage.

India: 12 points from six matches

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Photo: BCCI/X

Table-toppers India will have to collect one more point to qualify for the semifinals. They are the only unbeaten side at the World Cup so far. India have three more matches left at the league stage.

South Africa: 10 points from six matches

Photo: Reuters File

Two wins from their remaining three league stage games will be enough for second-placed South Africa to earn a spot in the semifinals. One more win will also be enough for the Proteas but in that case, they will have to be at a greater Net Run Rate (NRR) than at least one of the four other sides — India, New Zealand, Australia and Afghanistan—who stand a chance of reaching 12 points.

New Zealand: 8 points from six matches

Photo: PTI File

The Kiwis can advance to the next stage of the competition by simply winning their remaining three games. Just one win can also guide New Zealand to the semifinals but in that case, the Black Caps must have a higher NRR than the sides who can also finish the league stage with 10 points.

Australia: 8 points from six matches

Photo: PTI File

The path to qualification is quite simple for the Aussies. Winning their remaining three games will be just enough for the five-time champions to reach the semifinals. Australia can still reach the next stage winning just one out of three games. To secure their qualification with just one win from the next three matches, Australia must have a higher NRR than the teams who can end up with 10 points.

Pakistan: 6 points from seven matches

Photo: AP File

Pakistan have two more matches to play at the league stage of the World Cup. Merely winning the remaining matches will not be enough for them to qualify for the semifinals. They will have to depend on the NRR even after winning their last two games. One win will not bring an end to Pakistan’s World Cup campaign. In such a situation, Pakistan will have to depend on NRR and outcomes of Australia, New Zealand and Afghanistan’s matches.

Afghanistan: 6 points from six matches

Photo: AFP

Afghanistan’s chances of reaching the next stage seems a bit tricky but certainly not impossible. The Asian side will have to win their remaining three games to stay alive in the competition. At the same time, Afghanistan will want either New Zealand or Australia to concede defeat in at least one match by a massive margin or lose two games.

Sri Lanka: 4 points from six matches

Photo: Reuters

Sri Lanka’s chances of reaching the knockouts are also just mathematically alive. The first step for Sri Lanka will be to win their remaining three league stage fixtures. Sri Lanka will need the five teams (apart from India) ahead of them to not earn more than 10 points and secure an inferior NRR compared to theirs.

Netherlands: 4 points from six matches

Photo: AP File

The Netherlands will have to win their remaining three league matches by big margins to stay in the hunt for a semifinal berth. At the same time, the Dutch side would want no more than three teams to finish the league stage with 10 points or more.

England: 2 points from six matches

Photo: Reuters

Despite enduring a poor World Cup 2023 journey, defending champions England’s chances of qualifying for the semi-finals are still alive, albeit by the most slender of margins. England’s qualification chances heavily hinge on other teams and their results. England will have to win their last three league games and hope just three nations finish with more than eight points in the World Cup standings.

(This story was written during the match between New Zealand and South Africa)

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