The challenging group has produced a lot of recent nail-biting games so far, and the semi-final contenders are still up for debate.
Well, Sri Lanka, who reached the Super 12 phase after topping the table in qualifiers was expected to give tough fight to every major team in the group, but they have had a disappointing run so far with only victories over Ireland and Afghanistan out of their games.
Their win came in the first match, though, and it was expected that they will make it hard for the Aussies and New Zealand, but it won’t happen and they lost both that games, they however bounced back and defeated Afghanistan then and after winning just 2 out of four and currently standing on fourth spot, the Asian Champions can still qualify for the semis. Let’s find out, how?
Can Sri Lanka still qualify for semis?
The competition is becoming tougher day by day, and even after New Zealand topping the chart, and England, and Australia are up to grab the semi-final spot, Sri Lanka is all set to surprise its competitors.
With 4 points on their kitty, the Shanaka-led side can be the surprise package for all.
But, it is not that simple as it looks like.
The top-three teams at the points table are carrying 5 points each in 4 games, and if New Zealand loses their game against Ireland, Australia lost to Afghanistan and Sri Lanka defeats England, then they will definitely qualify.
As in that case, Sri Lanka tops the table with 6 points, while the remaining teams will stand at 5.
If New Zealand wins over Ireland and Afghanistan defeated Australia or vis-a-versa, then still the lions qualify with 6 points.
They are having far better chances only they need to do is to beat England, and either New Zealand or Australia lose their remaining game.
Next fixtures and probabilities:
New Zealand Vs Ireland on November 4 – Ireland wins (5 points for NZ, 4 points for IRE)
Australia Vs Afghanistan on November 4 – Afghanistan wins (5 points for Aus, 4 points for AFG)
England Vs Sri Lanka on November 5 – Sri Lanka wins (5 points for Eng, 6 points for SL)
Talking about teams, New Zealand having far better chances than anyone in the group. They are the table toppers with 5 points and the net run-rate is on their side. They have to face Ireland in their final match, and we are not underestimating the team, who already claimed a victory over England in the tournament, but it is highly unlikely that they will beat New Zealand.
So, New Zealand is the hot favourite right now to surely qualify from group 1. While Australia will need to win at any cost and pray Sri Lanka will win. Then the Aussies will advance alongside New Zealand. But if England managed to beat Sri Lanka then they will qualify as they having better run-rate than Australia.
But, and to surprise all, Sri Lanka will qualify if they defeats England, and one from New Zealand and Australia will lost their last game.
