Looks like Group A in this year’s Champions Trophy has five teams with Rain acting as the 5th one. With rain spoiling two matches already from Group A things have started to get extremely interesting. But with England’s victory over New Zealand, one thing is confirmed from Group A, England is going into the semis and going in as the no.1 team from Group A.
They are going to face the team which finishes 2nd in group B in their semi-final. This already puts them in a position of dominance and gives the Eoin Morgan-led outfit a great tactical advantage.
But the interesting part is, all the other three teams still have a chance to qualify, as the 2nd team from Group A. Here are the scenarios for each team to qualify:-
- For Australia to qualify:-
Australia has two points from two ‘washed out’ games. The equation is very simple for the Aussies, win the game versus England and qualify for the semis. If they lose, they are ‘Almost’ Out. ‘Almost’, because even if they lose against the Poms they will still have a chance to qualify. But for that to happen, NZ vs Ban should also be a washout which means all three teams will be left with two points each. The team with better NRR qualifies.
If Aus vs Eng gets washed out and Nz vs Ban has a winner, then Aussies are out of the tournament. Though they will have equal no. of points as the winner of NZ vs Ban (that is 3), they will have zero wins. As no. of wins hold the top most priority, in deciding which team to be ranked higher, after no. of points.
So, if NZ v Ban has a result then Australia has to beat England. If it is washed out then they should concentrate on keeping a better NRR than Bangladesh to qualify ahead of them.
- For New Zealand to Qualify:-
New Zealand has made it difficult for themselves by losing to England in such a dismal manner. Now for them to qualify for the semis, they have to beat Bangladesh and hope England beats Australia or the game gets washed out. If Australia beats England then the Kiwis are out, irrespective of their result against Bangladesh.
So, all they can do is try and win the match against Bangladesh and hope England (or Rain) beats Australia.
- For Bangladesh to Qualify:-
The equation for Bangladesh is very similar to that of New Zealand. Win their next match against New Zealand and hope England beats Australia or the game washes out.
Let’s see who will qualify, as the 2nd team from Group A.