Explained: Who will qualify for Asia Cup 2023 Super Four stage from Group B if Afghanistan beat Sri Lanka

It will be a competition between Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh from Group B in Asia Cup 2023.

Group B in Asia Cup 2023 is the most hard-fought one, as the top 3 Asian teams will be fighting for the two spots to qualify for the super 4 round in the tournament. Tuesday’s clash between Afghanistan and Sri Lanka at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore will decide the final standings of group B and the two final teams that will go in super 4 will take on India and Pakistan, who have already qualified for the next round from group A.

Afghanistan suffered a heavy defeat against Bangladesh in their first league encounter in Lahore. Bangladesh defeated Afghanistan by 45 runs and earned two important points. Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have two points each, and Afghanistan are yet to open its account in the points table. Despite that, Afghanistan have a chance to qualify for the super four along with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

What happens if Afghanistan beat Sri Lanka?

If Afghanistan manage to defeat Sri Lanka by a handsome margin in the game, group B will end up in a tie between all three teams, as all three of them will end up with 2 points each. This will bring the net run rate into the picture to decide on the final two teams going through to the next round of the Asia Cup in 2023. But for that, Afghanistan needs to win their encounter against Sri Lanka in Lahore. Sri Lanka didn’t have a convincing win over Bangladesh in a low-scoring chase.

Right now, Sri Lanka are at the top of the group with 0.971 NRR. Bangladesh are second with 0.373 NRR. Afghanistan suffered a massive dent in their NRR after their 45-run loss against Bangladesh. They are third with zero points, and the NRR is in negative, -1.780.

Afghanistan need 292 in 37.1 overs

Sri Lanka have scored 291 runs in their 50 overs. Maheesh Theekshana (28) and Dunith Wellalage (33) added 64 runs for the 8th wicket to take Sri Lanka over 290. Afghanistan can only make it to Super 4 if they chase down this total inside 37.1 overs.

The ACC is likely to shift the Super 4 and final venue from Colombo to the South Coast of Sri Lanka, Hambantota. Colombo and Kandy have seen persistent rain due to the delayed monsoon, and there are severe rain predictions at the time of the super 4 games. Sri Lanka will be hosting all the super 4 games, except the opening encounter that will be played at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. An official announcement is yet to be made in this regard.