How will Afghanistan team go to Super 8?
Two main equations are being formed for Afghanistan’s qualification. In the first scenario, if New Zealand beats South Africa, Afghanistan will have to hope that UAE pulls off South Africa and Canada beats UAE. In such a situation, New Zealand will top Group D, while Afghanistan and South Africa will be tied with 4 points each. Here the decision will be based on net run rate, where a win by a big margin can get Afghanistan a ticket to the next round.
Small teams will have to win the matches
Under the second equation, if South Africa team beats New Zealand, then South Africa team will top the group with 8 points. In this situation, Afghanistan will have to pray that the Canadian team defeats New Zealand and then the UAE team registers victory over Canada. If this happens, both Afghanistan and New Zealand will have 4 points each. Once again, the second team to reach the Super-8 will be decided on the basis of net run rate, in which Afghanistan will have to be in a better position than New Zealand.
Group D was considered the ‘Group of Death’ of this tournament because it had three strong teams like Afghanistan, New Zealand and South Africa together. The Afghanistan team, which was the semi-finalist of the last T20 World Cup, is currently at a critical juncture. Rashid Khan and his army will now take the field against UAE on 16 February and Canada on 19 February.
