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.

Read more: Afghanistan stuns Australia to keep World Cup semis hopes alive

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.