he 2017 Champions Trophy has entered its crucial phase as four out of the eight teams are in with a chance of qualifying for the semi-finals. England and Bangladesh have already qualified from Group A. World Champions Australia and New Zeland are unlucky to face the exit door as rain played a crucial role in them getting knocked out. Let us take a look at how the things stand after the second round of matches in Group B and what the teams need to do to qualify for the semis.
Group B
After the last two matches that saw Pakistan and Sri Lanka beating South Africa and India respectively, Group B has become wide open. In simple words, both the remaining matches in this group are virtual knockouts and there are chances that either the tournament favourites India or the World no. 1 side South Africa could not make it to the semis.
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Let us take a look at the Group B points table after the first two rounds and their final round schedule:
| Team | Played | Won | Lost | No Result/Tie | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| India | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | +1.272 |
| South Africa | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | +1.000 |
| Sri Lanka | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | -0.879 |
| Pakistan | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | -1.544 |
| Date | Match | Venue | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 11 | India vs South Africa | The Oval | 10:30 AM local / 3 PM IST |
| June 12 | Sri Lanka vs Pakistan | Cardiff | 10:30 AM local / 3 PM IST |
Note:
If the points are equal, the team with more wins will go through.
If they are still equal, equation goes down to NRR comparison.
If still equal, the team with higher seeding goes through
India
India started their 2017 ICC Champions Trophy campaign by beating their arch-rivals Pakistan by 124 runs in their first group B game at Edgbaston. The victory margin was too high that India received a big boost by getting an NRR of +3.02.
In the second match, Virat Kohli and co. were beaten fair and square by Sri Lanka and put themselves in a spot of bother. The loss also made sure that their NRR took a hit as it came down to +1.272 going into their final group game.
For India should qualify,
If India beat South Africa: India will qualify for the semis
If India lose to South Africa: India will be knocked out of the tournament
If India vs South Africa ends in a washout: India will go through irrespective of the result in Sri Lanka vs Pakistan on the virtue of having a better NRR
South Africa
South Africa registered a huge win over Sri Lanka in their first match of the tournament. A 96-run win over the Lankans meant that the Proteas have a healthy NRR of +1.920.
But, it came down to +1.000 after their 19-run loss via DLS method to Pakistan in their second group game. Their match against Pakistan was evenly poised before rain interrupted and Sarfaraz Ahmed’s men were ahead on DLS at the end of 27 overs.
For South Africa to go through,
If South Africa beat India: South Africa will qualify for the semis.
If India beat South Africa: South Africa will be knocked out of the tournament
If South Africa vs India ends in a washout: South Africa will qualify only if Pakistan vs Sri Lanka gets washed out. If that match produces a result, South Africa will be knocked out on the virtue of having a lesser NRR than India.
Pakistan
Pakistan had a nightmarish start to their 2017 ICC Champions Trophy campaign as they lost to India by 124 runs via DLS method at Edgbaston. But, Pakistan did what they do best, ie. being unpredictable in any tournament as they went on to surprise World no. 1 South Africa by earning a 19-run win over the Proteas.
It was a completely contrasting performance from their game against India as they outplayed AB de Villiers and co. in all three departments and registered a big win that saw their NRR come down from -3.02 to -1.54. With this win, they put themselves in a situation of getting qualified for the semis.
For Pakistan to qualify,
If Pakistan beat Sri Lanka: Pakistan will go through to the semis
If Pakistan lose to Sri Lanka: Pakistan are knocked out of the tournament
If Pakistan vs Sri Lanka ends in a washout: Pakistan will get knocked out of the tournament
Sri Lanka
After losing their first match against South Africa by 96 runs, their chances of making it to the next round were hanging by a thread as their NRR went down to -1.920 and they were scheduled to face India in their second group game.
When they took on the Men in Blue, they shocked everyone by beating them convincingly by 7 wickets and not only gave themselves a chance of qualification but also opened the group wide open going into the third round of matches.
For Sri Lanka to qualify,
If Sri Lanka beat Pakistan: Sri Lanka will qualify for the semis
If Pakistan beat Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka will be sent back home
If Pakistan vs Sri Lanka ends in a washout: Sri Lanka will qualify only if India vs South Africa produces an outright result. If both the matches ends in a washout, Sri Lanka will get knocked out on the virtue of not having a better NRR
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