The Asia Cup heads into the business end of the tournament with just three games left to decide the two finalists.
Early results in the Super Four stage have set up an exciting finish to the tournament with all four teams still in contention to lift the trophy.
| Team | Matches | Wins | Loses | NRR | Points |
| Sri Lanka | 2 | 2 | 0 | +0.351 | 4 |
| Pakistan | 1 | 1 | 0 | +0.126 | 2 |
| India | 2 | 0 | 2 | -0.125 | 0 |
| Afghanistan | 1 | 0 | 1 | -0.589 | 0 |
Here’s how each team can qualify for the final.
Sri Lanka
Remaining fixture: Pakistan
What they have to do:
– Beat Pakistan
OR
– Hope Afghanistan lose one of their remaining games
OR
– Maintain a better net run rate (NRR) than either Pakistan or Afghanistan
With two wins and four points under their belt, Sri Lanka sit comfortably at the top of the Super Four table with a spot in the final all but secured.
Dasun Shanaka’s team could qualify for the final as early as Wednesday should Afghanistan lose to Pakistan. Thanks to their healthy NRR of 0.351, it’d take a monumental effort for both Pakistan (0.126 NRR) and Afghanistan (-0.589 NRR) to topple Sri Lanka.
Pakistan
Remaining fixtures: Afghanistan and Sri Lanka
What they have to do:
– Win both their remaining games
OR
– Win at least one game and finish with a better NRR than either Afghanistan or Sri Lanka
OR
– If they lose both, they need India to beat Afghanistan and hope their NRR is better than both those sides
Pakistan’s win over India on Sunday has put them in control of their own destiny with two wins in the last two Super Four games ensuring they qualify for the final
Babar Azam’s side can also qualify despite losing one or even both games, should they maintain a healthier NRR than Afghanistan and India.
Afghanistan
Remaining fixtures: Pakistan and India
What they have to do:
– Win both games and have a better NRR than Pakistan or Sri Lanka
OR
– Beat either India or Pakistan. This would also need Pakistan losing to Sri Lanka and Afghanistan finishing with a better NRR than both those teams
Afghanistan’s loss to Sri Lanka and an NRR of -0.589 has made life difficult for Mohammad Nabi’s team but it’s not an impossible task. They could still feature in the final if they win their remaining two matches and fix their unfavourable NRR.
India
Remaining fixture: Afghanistan
What they have to do:
– Beat Afghanistan and hope Pakistan lose both their games.
India’s two losses in the Super Four stage mean they are reliant on other results to go their way to even have a chance of playing in the final. With an India-Pakistan Asia Cup finale already out of the equation, there’s a very slim chance of Rohit Sharma’s side even making the final despite a big win against Afghanistan in their final match.
