Australia vs Afghanistan - who has better chance of qualifying for 2023 World Cup semi-finals 

As Australia and Afghanistan prepare to face off in what promises to be an exciting and crucial match for their semi-final hopes, Australia finds itself in a formidable position, having won four consecutive games and positioning themselves strongly for another World Cup semi-final.

The early tournament woes and two initial losses are now distant memories. Australia's men's ODI team has posted three consecutive totals of 350 or more, showcasing their impressive batting prowess and making history in the process.

Australia's journey has seen them go from 252 for 0 to 363 for 9 against Pakistan and from 244 for 2 to 290 for 6 against the Netherlands before Maxwell's explosive century. Even against New Zealand, they crawled from 200 for 1 in the 24th over to 274 for 5 in the 39th over. They were bailed out by Glenn Maxwell, Josh Inglis, and Pat Cummins. And then again, they lost 4 wickets for just 1 run in the last two overs. While the openers, led by David Warner alongside either Travis Head or Mitchell Marsh, have set solid foundations, maintaining momentum has been a challenge for the side.

Marsh has struggled against spin, especially when he faced up against New Zealand. Steve Smith's dissatisfaction with batting at No. 4 is far too evident. Marnus Labuschagne has shown promise but then has scored his runs with an overall strike rate of 77.30, which reflects a struggle to capitalize on good starts.

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Will Afghanistan challenge Australia? Yes, they can!

Afghanistan has brought joy to this World Cup

Shifting the focus to Afghanistan, the top five batsmen didn't have impressive statistics leading up to the World Cup. However, in their third World Cup appearance, they have transformed into a different side, a different entity with the same players.

Recording nine fifty-plus scores, six of which came in the last two games, along with three 50-plus partnerships in successive matches, including two over 100, Afghanistan's top order now boasts healthy batting averages. They've displayed clinical chasing skills in back-to-back games, including victories against high-profile teams like Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

As the tournament progresses, Afghanistan are emerging as one of the strongest Asian teams. And Australia have shown enough jitters in the middle order to keep the Afghans interested. Yes, their top order has been breaking the ceiling, but their middle and lower order have not come to the party. Spinners have forced them to go into a bunker, and this is where Afghanistan’s chances lie.

"This is not the end," their captain Hashmatullah Shahidi said after their win over Sri Lanka. "We are happy with the wins, but we still have more to do."

As for Mitchell Starc, he has been rather disappointing all tournament so far. He was not able to pick up a wicket in a World Cup match after a record 22 games against New Zealand. He went the distance as well when he bled 89 from nine overs. Another window of opportunity for Afghanistan’s openers to pounce on.

Australia are favourites, of course they are, but Afghanistan are not here to just smile and be whisked away. One solid start, 20 overs of good spin bowling, and they are in the game. But, then, Australia have been here and done this far too often, and they could once again enter another World Cup semi-final.