By Megha Mallick,News18

Copyright news18

With the Group A Super 4s slot sealed by defending champions India and arch-rivals Pakistan, all eyes will now be on Group B, where Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan are in a three-way battle for two places, and whoever misses out would be a massive heartbreak for them.
Charith Asalanka’s Sri Lanka are best-placed to qualify for the Super 4s, with two wins in two games and a net run rate of 1.54. They start favourites against Rashid Khan’s Afghanistan on Thursday and if they win, they would be through.
Litton Das’ Bangladesh don’t have much to do other than hope for a Sri Lanka win. They won two of their games against Afghanistan and Hong Kong but lost to the Lankans. They are second on the points table, with four points and an NRR of -0.27.
If Sri Lanka win, they will take Bangladesh along into the Super 4s.
The loss to Bangladesh on Tuesday left Afghanistan in a precarious position with just one victory over Hong Kong in two matches. They are third on the points table with two points and an NRR of 2.15. They would need an outright win to topple Bangladesh and a huge victory to eliminate Sri Lanka from the race.
Even with a brilliant NRR of 1.54, a defeat by around 70 runs or with 50 deliveries to spare against Afghanistan will take Sri Lanka’s NRR below Bangladesh’s, thereby eliminating them from the tournament.
After their defeat to Bangladesh, Afghanistan will need to get past a steady Sri Lanka to have a shot at making the super fours. A victory over the Lankans for Afghanistan will leave them, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh on four points each.
However, what could go in their favour is their superior NRR of 2.15 compared to Bangladesh, who are done with their league commitments.
Having reached the semifinals of the T20 World Cup, expectations have increased for the Rashid Khan-led team.