3 lower-ranked teams who can qualify for semi-finals of 2023 World Cup ft. Afghanistan
The 2023 ODI World Cup continues to be the tournament for upsets. England have been at the receiving end of another shellacking at the hands of Sri Lanka in their latest outing on October 26.
While there have been numerous one-sided fixtures in the World Cup, raising questions about the future of 50-over cricket, the upsets caused by the lower-ranked teams have helped maintain the excitement.
Some of the top six teams in the ODI rankings - India, Pakistan, New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, and England, are teetering on the brink of elimination. This has renewed hopes for the four lower-ranked sides - Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and the Netherlands.
With all 10 sides completing five of their nine games, Team India are coasting along as the only unbeaten team. South Africa and New Zealand aren't far behind, with four wins in five games, making them near certainties for the semi-finals.
Considering all the upsets throughout the World Cup, there is a high possibility of a side winning five out of their nine games to sneak into the final four. Will we witness a Cinderella story like Kenya from the 2003 World Cup 20 years later?
Let us look at the three lower-ranked sides with the possibility of qualifying for the semi-final of the 2023 World Cup.
#1 Afghanistan
Afghanistan have been the ultimate giant-killers of the World Cup so far, having defeated the higher-ranked England and Pakistan. The most impressive aspect of their victories were the stark contrast in the path to achieving the result.
They defended a par score of 284 on a placid Delhi wicket by 69 runs against the defending champions. Against Pakistan, the batters took centerstage in their stunning run-chase of 283.
The dual victories against two pre-tournament favorites have opened up the points table and has the Afghans in the running for a semi-final spot. At four points in five games, they have winnable games in their next two outings against Sri Lanka and the Netherlands to push for a top-four finish.
Although Sri Lanka has beaten them in their last three ODI meetings, Afghanistan was all but victorious in their latest clash during the Asia Cup. Having to chase 292 in 37.1 overs to qualify for the Super Fours, the Afghans almost pulled off the miracle before being bowled out for 289 in a mere 37.4 overs.
They have also won three of the last eight meetings in ODIs against Sri Lanka. Thus, they will be brimming with confidence following their stunning victories over England and Pakistan.
Should they beat Sri Lanka and the Netherlands, Afghanistan would have won a hattrick of games and would be sitting pretty on eight points in seven games. With the pitches likely to get slower and lower, Afghanistan's spin quartet could cause further chaos amongst the higher-ranked teams.
One more win in their final two fixtures against Australia and South Africa could be sufficient for the World's No.9 ranked ODI side to make an earth-shattering semi-final entry in just their third World Cup appearance.
#2 Sri Lanka
The 1996 world champions, Sri Lanka, have started scripting their turnaround following a bleak beginning to their tournament.
Wrecked with injuries before and during the World Cup, the side lost their opening three games to South Africa, Pakistan, and Australia. However, just as it appeared like the Lions would endure a dismal campaign, the Netherlands clash came as a lifeline, where they scraped through with a five-wicket win.
With veteran Angelo Matthews returning to the side and picking up two crucial wickets, Sri Lanka stunned England by eight wickets to bolster their net run-rate.
Their next match against Afghanistan becomes a pivotal encounter as victory will have the Lankans back in the reckoning with three wins and as many losses. They have beaten the Afghans in their last three ODI meetings, which should further boost their confidence.
Although they will have to deal with the Indian juggernaut after the Afghanistan clash, a defeat will still leave them having to win their final two games to qualify, should other results work in their favor.
Sri Lanka also has a winnable game against Bangladesh following the outing against India before finishing off with New Zealand. Should they defeat Afghanistan and Bangladesh, they will likely have to beat only one of India and New Zealand to finish in the top four.
Also working in their favor is playing New Zealand in their final match, as there is a high possibility that the Kiwis are already through to the semi-final, resulting in them potentially resting some of their key players.
Sri Lanka can also look back at the recent and last year's Asia Cup when they reached the final in one and triumphed in the other despite being counted out for motivation.
#3 Bangladesh
Bangladesh have had another disappointing World Cup campaign after a promising start with the dominant win against Afghanistan. They have lost its next four games against England, New Zealand, India, and South Africa.
However, all is not lost yet for the Tigers, as they have a relatively easy outing against the Netherlands in which a win could help bring them back on track. Following the Netherlands clash, Bangladesh faces off against two Asia foes - Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Despite losing their previous two ODI meetings against Pakistan, Bangladesh can take solace from defeating the Men in Green in all four ODIs before the last two games. They have also beaten Pakistan in World Cups, having stunned them in the 1999 edition.
With the Babar Azam side undergoing turmoil internally and on the field with three straight defeats, there is no reason why Bangladesh should not have equal footing in the contest.
Shakib Al Hasan's Men will then take on Sri Lanka, against whom they have tasted success across formats, including winning two of their last five meetings. Should they win the above three matches, they will likely have to defeat the mighty Aussies in their final game to qualify for the semi-final.
While the road to glory looks improbable, Bangladesh will do well to take it game by game and take confidence from several recent results, especially for the Pakistan and Sri Lanka clashes.