How Afghanistan can reach the 2023 World Cup semi-final after securing a memorable win over Sri Lanka:

Third win of the tournament - Afghanistan has won three matches in the 2023 World Cup, beating former champions England, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. This is their best performance in the history of the tournament.

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Fifth spot in the table - Afghanistan has six points from six matches and is in the fifth spot in the table, just two points behind New Zealand and Australia, who are third and fourth, respectively.

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Three matches left - Afghanistan has three more matches to play against the Netherlands, Australia and South Africa. They need to win all three matches to reach a maximum of 12 points and have a chance of qualifying for the semi-finals.

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Net run rate factor - Afghanistan also needs to improve their net run rate (NRR), which is currently -0.481, as compared to Australia's +0.267 and New Zealand's +0.412. NRR is the difference between the average runs scored and conceded per over by a team.

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Australia and South Africa key opponents - Afghanistan's matches against Australia and South Africa are crucial, as they are direct competitors for the semi-final spots. If Afghanistan can beat both of them, they will have an edge over them in terms of points and NRR.

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Historic opportunity - Afghanistan has a historic opportunity to become the first associate nation to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup. They have shown remarkable skills and spirit in this tournament and have won many fans around the world.

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