In the ongoing Champions Trophy, India is almost certain to reach the semifinals after winning two consecutive matches. In Group ‘A,’ the battle for the remaining semifinal spot is between New Zealand, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
Among these three teams, New Zealand is in the best position. They started their campaign with a win against the tournament hosts and defending champions, Pakistan. Meanwhile, Bangladesh suffered a defeat against India in their opening match, putting them on the back foot. Pakistan is in an even worse situation, having lost both of their first two matches against New Zealand and India, leaving them on the verge of elimination.
Today, Bangladesh and New Zealand face off in Rawalpindi. If New Zealand wins this match, they will secure a place in the semifinals. However, if Bangladesh manages to defeat New Zealand, the competition will become more intense.
In that case, all three teams—Bangladesh, Pakistan, and New Zealand—will have 2 points each from two matches. This scenario will make the final group-stage matches crucial for determining the semifinalists.
In the last two matches of Group ‘A,’ New Zealand will face India, while Pakistan will take on Bangladesh. The results of these matches will decide who joins India in the semifinals.
If New Zealand loses to India and Pakistan defeats Bangladesh by a big margin, Pakistan will qualify for the semifinals alongside India.
If New Zealand loses to India and Bangladesh beats Pakistan, then Bangladesh will advance to the semifinals.
If New Zealand defeats India and Bangladesh loses to Pakistan, then New Zealand will qualify.
There is also another possible scenario—if both New Zealand and Bangladesh win their respective matches, both teams will have 4 points each. In that case, the semifinalist will be determined based on net run rate.
However, all these complex calculations will only come into play if Bangladesh wins against New Zealand today.
