Crunch time: What the Proteas must do to reach Champions Trophy playoffs

Though their road to the playoffs will come down to their final match of the group stages, the Proteas should have little trouble coasting into the semifinals of the Champions Trophy tournament, as they gear up for a crunch clash against England in Karachi on Saturday (11am start).

While the SA team would have already progressed if Australia had defeated Afghanistan on Friday, that game was called off without a result due to rain.

Nonetheless, despite Afghanistan also sitting on three points in Group B, the Proteas will be confident of keeping their title hopes alive, as they boast a superior net run rate.

SA firm favourites to progress

In order for Afghanistan to qualify for the playoffs ahead of South Africa, England will need to completely crush the Proteas.

If they bowl first against England, the SA team will need to lose by a margin of 207 runs to be eliminated, provided they play out their full 50 overs.

If they bat first, South Africa will almost certainly progress, with England needing to bowl them out for a record low total and chase down their target within a handful of overs.

Klaasen available for selection

Meanwhile, Proteas coach Rob Walter was pleased to have Heinrich Klaasen in the mix, confirming the big-hitting batter had recovered from an elbow injury and would be available for selection for the game against England.

“He (Klaasen) has got a skillset at the moment that is right up there with the world’s best – I think we can all agree on that – and it’s great to have him in your team because you know how destructive he can be,” Walter said.

South Africa and Afghanistan are the only remaining teams competing for spots in the Champions Trophy semifinals.

Australia have already progressed from Group B, though South Africa could still finish top of their group if they beat England, while New Zealand and India have qualified for the semifinals from Group A.