‘Ready to choke against Australia in semis’ – Fans react as South Africa qualify for semifinal of ODI World Cup 2023

Pakistan won the match against New Zealand in a rain-interrupted game. Despite conceding 401 runs with the ball, Pakistan won the match by 21 runs via DLS method. The knock of Fakhar Zaman helped Pakistan to stay ahead of New Zealand in the par score method. In 25.3 overs, Pakistan scored 200/1. According to the par score, it was 21 more than that of New Zealand.

Hence, Pakistan claimed a crucial win against New Zealand. The win of Pakistan has made things a lot more interesting. India became the first team to qualify for the semifinal of the tournament. Following their win against Sri Lanka, India booked a spot in the semifinal. After the win over Pakistan, South Africa qualified for the semifinal of the tournament. 6 wins are enough for the team to qualify at this point in the tournament.

South Africa has 6 wins in their 7 matches till now. Barring Australia, no other team can claim more wins than South Africa at this stage. Hence, South Africa became the second team to qualify for the semifinal. With 2 more games left in the tournament, South Africa will take on India on Sunday in the big clash in Eden Gardens. The two teams will play without any pressure.

Interesting scenario in the points table

While Pakistan won the game against New Zealand, it created an interesting scenario in the points table. There are three teams now who have a virtual go at the semifinal spot in the tournament. Afghanistan with 4 wins in 7 matches have 2 matches left in the tournament. Pakistan will have to beat England in Kolkata in their last game to enter the semifinal.

New Zealand will have to face Sri Lanka in Bengaluru to decide their fate. They will be in a must-win situation against the former World Champions. All three teams can qualify for the semifinal at this point. It makes the last week of the group stage of the tournament a lot more interesting. While Australia is almost sure to qualify, if things go wrong, they might find themselves in a tricky position as well.

Here’s how the fans reacted to the news of SA qualifying for the semifinal of the tournament –