After dismissing England for just 179 runs in the last Group B match, South Africa advanced to the ICC Champions Trophy semi-finals. Afghanistan was eliminated from the competition as Proteas qualified.
In the Champions Trophy 2025 last Group B encounter on Saturday, March 1, South Africa bowled out England for just 179 runs, blowing away Afghanistan’s faint hopes of making it to the semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy.
At the National Bank Stadium in Karachi, England was bowled out in just 38.2 overs after continuing their poor batting performance when batting first. Australia and South Africa advanced to the tournament’s semi-finals thanks to the outcome of the first innings. Afghanistan was eliminated from the tournament as a result, since they sorely needed England to defeat South Africa by a significant margin.
The competition in Group B, which comprised Afghanistan, Australia, South Africa, and England, was fierce. Every team, with the exception of England, was in the contention for a semi-final position until the very end, although several games were canceled due to weather.
Afghanistan’s fate was taken away from them on Friday, February 28th, when rain forced the cancellation of their match against Australia. The Atalans had to wait for the outcome of South Africa and England because Afghanistan and South Africa were deadlocked at three points. For Afghanistan to get to the tournament’s last four, the SA vs. ENG match has to be a miracle.
In today’s match, Afghanistan required England to defeat South Africa by a minimum of 207 runs. However, following yet another surrender of their batting lineup, the Jos Buttler team was unable to score even 207 runs. In Jos Buttler’s farewell game as captain, Bazballing England again made poor decisions and were dismissed for a lower-than-expected score. Joe Root smashed 37 off 44 balls to lead England in scoring.
Here are the scenarios which would have led to Afghanistan qualifying for the semi-finals of the tournament.
If South Africa field first, they have to lose the match by 207 or more runs to get knocked out of the tournament.
If South Africa batted first, England would have had to chase:
- 173 runs in 15 overs
- 157 runs in 14 overs
- 142 runs in 13 overs, and so on.
All of those possibilities and permutations, however, were unnecessary because England just did not score the required minimum amount of runs.
The Champions Trophy semifinal resembles the one from the 2023 ODI World Cup.
South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and India made it to the tournament’s final four. India defeated New Zealand to get to the final of the ODI World Cup, while Australia defeated South Africa in the semifinals.
