EXPLAINED: HOW AFGHANISTAN CAN BE KNOCKED OUT OF T20 WORLD CUP 2024 EVEN WITHOUT PLAYING SEMI-FINAL

Afghanistan created history when they defeated Bangladesh in the T20 World Cup 2024 Super 8 match to reach the semi-final of the competition. This is the first time in history that the Afghans qualified for the final four of an ICC tournament. They would now look to go a step further and create some more history by reaching the final of the mega event. For that to happen, they need to win their semi-final against the unbeaten South Africa, with the match taking place at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad on June 27. There is also a chance that they can be knocked out without playing the semi-final.

There have been many matches in the T20 World Cup 2024 so far that have been washed out or affected by rain, including the Afghanistan vs Bangladesh game which was truncated due to the rainfall. According to Accuweather.com, there are chances that rain might affect the semi-final as well. There is a 41% chance of rain with a 25% chance of a thunderstorm. Hence, there is a slight possibility that the match might get washed out.

There is a reserve day for the match, if it does not happen on that day. However, if the game gets called off on the reserve day as well, then South Africa will qualify for the final, and Afghanistan will be knocked out. This is because Afghanistan finished second in Group 1 of the Super 8 behind India, while South Africa finished at the top of the Group 1 of the Super 8, with England coming second.

How Afghanistan Qualified For Semi-Final

Afghanistan had already given themselves a great chance of reaching the semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2024, when they secured a historic win against Australia in their second Super 8 game of the tournament. Their road to the final four was made more clear after India defeated Australia. All they needed to do was win the game against Bangladesh.

On a tricky pitch at St Vincent and Grenadines, Afghanistan could only manage to muster 115 runs in their 20 overs, with Gurbaz top-scoring with 43 runs. Rishad Hossain was the pick of the bowlers with 3 wickets. In a rain-affected second innings, the Afghanistan bowlers weaved their magic, with Naveen Ul Haq and Rashid Khan picking up 4 wickets each, as they won the match by 8 runs and qualified for the semi-final.

2024-06-25T17:50:40Z dg43tfdfdgfd