New Delhi: The Bangladeshi Tigers, outclassed the Sri Lankan Lions by 3 wickets and made them the third team to be officially eliminated from the ICC World Cup 2023.
The match on Monday was filled with controversy as Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews became the first player in the history of cricket to be deemed timed out.
The decision caused so much stir between the two teams that they refused to shake hands after the match was over.
However, on the bright side, Bangladesh, with this win, has kept their hopes of qualifying for the Champions Trophy 2025, alive, as they are now in the seventh spot in the points table.
Check out the complete points table of the ICC World Cup 2023, till November 7 morning, below:
| Rank | Teams | M | W | L | N/R | Points | Net RR |
| 1 | India (Q) | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 16 | +2.45 |
| 2 | South Africa (Q) | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 12 | +1.37 |
| 3 | Australia | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 10 | +0.92 |
| 4 | New Zealand | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 8 | +0.39 |
| 5 | Pakistan | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 8 | -0.03 |
| 6 | Afghanistan | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 6 | -0.33 |
| 7 | Bangladesh (E) | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 4 | -1.14 |
| 8 | Sri Lanka (E) | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 4 | -1.16 |
| 9 | Netherland | 7 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 2 | -1.39 |
| 10 | England (E) | 7 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 2 | -1.50 |
The race for the semi-finals
The race for the final four has been reduced to the final two, as we already got ourselves two semi-finalists in the form of hosts India and the second-best team at the points table, South Africa.
Three teams have already been eliminated, which implies 5 teams are still left in contention for the remaining two semi-final spots.
Two-time champions and the hosts, India was the first team to qualify for the final four with their unbeaten run in the tournament. The hosts, with a huge 243 runs victory over the Proteas on Sunday, confirmed their top spot finish in the points table.
A Birthday Ton 💯
A Fabulous Fifer 💪
8⃣th Consecutive Win 🔝#TeamIndia | #CWC23 | #MenInBlueWatch the Match Highlights of #INDvSA 🎥🔽https://t.co/IF7J5bGbe3
— BCCI (@BCCI) November 6, 2023
The second team, who has already punched their tickets to the semi-finals and also confirmed their second position in the points table, is the South African cricket team, who have 12 points from 8 matches and will be flying to Eden Gardens for their semi-finals match.
Semi-Final spot on lock 🔐
We march on in the #CWC23🇿🇦#WozaNawe #BePartOfIt pic.twitter.com/WXgBHWtLmq
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) November 4, 2023
Scenarios for the remaining 5 teams
Who will join India and South Africa in the #CWC23 semi-finals?
The run home 👉 https://t.co/O5tOy4Pzvy pic.twitter.com/m3dLzQFjuD
— ICC (@ICC) November 6, 2023
Australia
The five-time champions are in the third spot at the moment with two matches still to go, and they just need to win one of those matches to punch their tickets for the semi-finals.
In case they lose both games, they have to ensure the margin of defeat is not too much. In that way, they can qualify on the basis of net run rate.
Next matches: AUS vs AFG, AUS vs NET
New Zealand
The runner-ups of the last two editions of the World Cups are currently at the fourth spot and has to win their last match I hope Pakistan and Afghanistan lose their remaining matches or at least Afghanistan lose one more, but the margin of victory of the two teams should not be too much, in that case, the kiwis will qualify from the fourth spot.
Next match: NZ vs SL
Pakistan
The best-case scenario for Pakistan would be for Afghanistan and New Zealand lose all their matches, in that case a win in the last match for Pakistan would be sufficient for them to qualify.
In another scenario, they need Afghanistan to lose at least one match and then win their final match with a 130+ run margin. In that case, the men in green will set up a legendary semi-final clash against India at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Next match: PAK vs ENG
Afghanistan
The scenario for Afghanistan is simple. Either win both their remaining matches and get the direct qualification or to win at least one match and hope New Zealand and Pakistan lose their final match. In that case, also, Afghanistan can qualify for the semi-finals.
Next matches: AFG vs AUS, AFG vs SA
Netherlands
The chances of the Dutch army making it to the final four are next to impossible, as in order for them to achieve that, they have to win their remaining matches with 200+ margins and have to hope Afghanistan, Pakistan, and New Zealand lose all their matches with huge margins also, even in that case they will still have only a slim chance of making it through.
