New Zealand and India Advance to Champions Trophy Semi-Finals

New Zealand's five-wicket victory against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi on Monday confirmed this, putting Bangladesh and hosts Pakistan out of contention.

Following New Zealand's five-wicket victory over Bangladesh in Rawalpindi on Monday, the two teams advanced to the Champions Trophy semi-finals. The two will face off in Dubai on March 2 for first place in Group A, but regardless of the outcome, India will play the first semi-final on March 4, while New Zealand will play the second semi-final in Lahore on March 5.

Bangladesh and its host, Pakistan, are out of the running. The two will play each other for consolation points, as both are winless after two games, at Rawalpindi on  February 27.

New Zealand will fly for Dubai on Tuesday morning, skipper Mitchell Santner revealed after the Bangladesh match. He praised Player of the Match Michael Bracewell for securing the victory over Bangladesh. "We knew Bangladesh would be a tough challenge on this wicket, and I think the way we were able to pull it back with the ball in the middle [overs] was pleasing," Santner said during the post-match presentation. "That's probably the hardest thing in one-day cricket, to take wickets in the middle, and I think Bracewell was outstanding."

Bracewell bowled ten overs in a row to finish with figures of 4 for 26 - 43 dots included - as New Zealand reduced Bangladesh to 236 for 9, and the chase was led by centurion Rachin Ravindra, who struck 112 from 105.

Bangladesh were 45 for 0 when Bracewell came on in the ninth over, but he struck immediately, and by the 27th over, they had slumped to 119 for 5. Bracewell said he was glad to help seal the semi-final position, adding the knowledge he gained from the previous tri-series against Pakistan and South Africa helped.

"It's great to contribute to a win. The key emphasis was coming here and winning and ensuring that semi-final berth, and we were able to do that today," Bracewell said, adding about his takeaways from the tri-series. "I believe that keeping the stumps in play for as long as possible is vital. It appears that giving a little bit of width [on these pitches] allows guys to free their arms and score quite freely, so [I was] just trying to bowl as straight as I could, bringing in that little bit of varying bounce [that the pitch gave]."

Australia and South Africa, who play at the same site on Tuesday, should take note. They are battling in Group B, which is still wide open. Both teams, as well as Afghanistan and England, remain in contention for a semi-final position, albeit Afghanistan and England have little margin for error after losing their first games.