T20 World Cup 2024: Are Australia still in the semi-final race?

Afghanistan handed a shocking defeat to Australia in their Super 8 game of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024 on June 22.

The Asian side’s stunning 21-run victory over the T20 World Cup 2021 champions has caused a major stir in the Group 1 of the marquee tournament.

While Australia have two points in their two games, they are still in the race for the semi-finals as they sit on the second spot of their group owing to a better run-rate than Afghanistan.

However, things might not come easy for the Australian team as they will need to beat India which remain undefeated in the ongoing tournament.

Rohit Sharma-led India currently lead the Group 1 standings with four points in two matches and a net run-rate of +2.425.

Australia, despite their loss against Afghanistan are second with two points in two games followed by Afghanistan with as many points with an inferior run-rate.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan have kept their hopes alive to reach the semi-finals after upsetting Australia in the T20 World Cup 2024.

In order to seal their first-ever semi-final berth, they will now need to beat Bangladesh in their last Super 8 fixture, scheduled on June 25, along with hopes that Australia lose to India.

However, Australia is likely to advance into the semi-finals if they down India in their last Super 8 fixture on June 24.

The result of the Afghanistan-Bangladesh fixture would then not affect their standing, considering their superior net run-rate.

It is pertinent to mention that India are all but certain to qualify for the T20 World Cup 2024 semi-final as a defeat against Australia would not dent their chances.

They risk getting knocked out of the tournament if Australia defeat them with a hefty margin and Afghanistan thrash Bangladesh in a similar manner.

In this scenario, both Australia and Afghanistan will need to win Super 8 matches with a margin of over 120 runs.