South Africa have qualified for the semifinals of the ongoing cricket World Cup after Pakistan defeated New Zealand in a rain-marred affair while playing at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday, November 4.
Pakistan's miraculous win over the Blackcaps means that only two teams, now, can reach 12 points or more after the end of the round-robin stage and hence the Proteas who already have 12 points have already made it through to the semis.
The team that can go beyond 12 is Australia. The Aussies have eight points in six matches and three wins in three games will take them to 14 points. On the other hand, the team that can equal South Africa (presuming the Temba Bavuma-led side stays on 12 points by losing the next two fixtures) is Afghanistan.
The Afghans have eight points and have two games to play in the ongoing spectacle. Both of their upcoming fixtures are going to be fairly challenging as they will have to size up against the five-time ODI World Cup winners Australia and the in-form South Africans who are looking in red-hot form.
| Teams | Matches played | Won | Lost | Tied | No Result | Points | Net Run Rate (NRR) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| India | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 2.102 |
| South Africa | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 2.290 |
| Australia | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0.970 |
| New Zealand | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0.398 |
| Pakistan | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0.036 |
| Afghanistan | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0.330 |
| Sri Lanka | 7 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 4 | -1.162 |
| Netherlands | 7 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 4 | -1.398 |
| Bangladesh | 7 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -1.446 |
| England | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -1.652
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