World Cup: After slaying Pakistan, can Afghanistan make the semi-finals?

Courtesy of their stunning eight-wicket win over Pakistan, Afghanistan has jumped to the sixth spot in the points table of the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup. They still have four matches left in the campaign and if they make the semi-final, it will be a historic achievement for the Asian side. However, the road won't be easy.

Hyderabad: Afghanistan, who are no longer underdogs, have already recorded two upsets in the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. First, they trounced the defending champions England at the Kotla by 69 runs on October 15. Then the Asian side stunned Pakistan, who had won the ODI World Cup in 1992, by eight wickets at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Monday.

Courtesy of the two wins, Afghanistan, who have former India batter Ajay Jadeja in their support staff, is currently placed at the sixth spot in the points table having six points. They are above Bangladesh (seventh spot), the Netherlands (eighth spot), Sri Lanka (ninth spot), and defending champions England (10th and last spot). The current net run rate of Afghanistan is -0.969.

The million-dollar question for cricket buffs is can Afghanistan, which has world-class spinners - Rashid Khan, Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman and Mohammed Nabi - can make the semi-finals of the ongoing marquee tournament. Afghanistan are in contention to make the last four stage and will need to win all their remaining four games of the league stage. If Afghanistan win all their remaining matches, they will have 12 points.

But the road for Afghanistan will not be an easy one as they will face the challenge of South Africa and five-time champions Australia and the two teams would also be eyeing a semi-final berth. A spirited Afghanistan next takes on Sri Lanka at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on October 30. The Afghanistan spin trio will again play a key part in the game going by the current form of the two teams, Afghanistan look favourites.

They then take on the Netherlands at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on November 3 in what will be a clash of minnows. Again, Afghanistan looks favourite to emerge victorious. However, the last two league games for Afghanistan could be difficult as they are up against five-time champions Australia at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on November 7 and South Africa at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on November 10. In cricket, anything can happen on a given day, so if the Afghanistan team makes the semi-final, it should not come as a surprise.