Three teams are chasing the final vacant spot in the ICC Women’s World Cup semi-final after South Africa, Australia and England booked their place during the knockout stage and finished in the top three in the league standings.
India, Sri Lanka and New Zealand are chasing the coveted spot with four points each; Bangladesh and Pakistan are out of the competition and are at the bottom of the standings with two points each; the latter crashed out of the competition after a crushing loss to South Africa on Tuesday.
How India can qualify (currently in fourth position; +0.526 NRR)
India have two matches left against New Zealand on Thursday and Bangladesh on Sunday. If they both win, they go to the semifinals. Even if they win against New Zealand but not Bangladesh (giving them six points and a total of three wins), they can still qualify for the semi-finals.
If India lose to New Zealand but defeat Bangladesh, they will depend on England defeating the White Ferns on Sunday to reach the semi-finals. Losing against both teams would mean that India would be out of the tournament it hosts.
India has recorded two wins so far; an 88-run loss to Pakistan and a 59-run win over Sri Lanka through the DLS method. The Women in Blue lost to England by four runs in a thrilling home encounter, and lost to South Africa by three wickets.
How New Zealand can qualify (currently in fifth position; -0.245 NRR)
Should New Zealand defeat India and England in the remaining matches, they will accumulate a total of eight points and qualify for the semi-finals.
However, a win against India but a loss to England means the Kiwis will be dependent on Bangladesh to beat India and their net run rate will finish above Sri Lanka (or Pakistan beating Sri Lanka).
Of the five matches the Kiwis have played so far, New Zealand have only won against Bangladesh by 100 runs. They lost to South Africa by 6 wickets and to Australia by 89 runs, while the matches against Pakistan and Sri Lanka were washed out.
How Sri Lanka can qualify (currently in 6th position; -1,035 NRR)
Sri Lanka’s chances of securing a place in the semi-finals are slim and depend more on other teams’ results than their own performance.
They would have to defeat Pakistan on Friday, demand that India lose to both New Zealand and Bangladesh, and demand that New Zealand lose to England for their net run rate to finish above the Kiwis.
Sri Lanka claimed their first victory on Monday after edging Bangladesh in a tense finale after captain Chamari Athapaththu took the ball herself and turned the game around.
They lost to England by 89 runs and to South Africa by 10 wickets through the DLS method, while the match against Australia was abandoned without a single ball being bowled.
