JLT One-Day Cup: Finals scenarios

With the final four group-stage matches of the JLT One-Day Cup to be played Sunday and Tuesday, five teams still remain in the running for a top-three finish.

The JLT Cup finals format will see the top placed team go direct to the final at Hobart's Blundstone Arena on October 21, with the second and third placed teams to square off in an elimination final at the same venue on October 19.

Western Australia are undefeated with two games left to play and are sitting on top of the table on 17 points and can cement their place in the finals with a win against South Australia at Drummoyne Oval on Sunday. Should they lose, they have another opportunity in their final match against the Cricket Australia XI on Tuesday.

New South Wales can also secure their spot with victory in their final group match against Victoria at North Sydney Oval on Sunday, while the Bushrangers, South Australia and Tasmania are also in the running.

Only Queensland and the CA XI cannot progress.

Should two or more teams finish level on points, they’ll be separated by their number of wins first and then net-run-rate.

With an intriguing race for the finals looming, we’ve detailed what each of the five contenders need to do to keep their tournament hopes alive.

Western Australia

The Warriors are in an enviable position on top of the table with four wins from four matches and 17 points to their names. They’re the only team with two matches remaining and need win only one of their games against the West End Redbacks and the Cricket Australia XI to be assured of a spot in the playoffs, but they’ll be eager to win both and avoid the elimination final.

They’re also in line to regain the services of Australian T20 representatives Jason Behrendorff and Marcus Stoinis, so look out for the team from the west.

New South Wales

The Blues have picked up three wins from five matches, with two bonus points along the way. They have a healthy net run rate of 0.596 and a win against Victoria on Sunday will be enough to lock in a spot in the finals. In good news for the Blues, they’ll have both Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins at their disposal against the Commonwealth Bank Bushrangers, as well as Test spinner Nathan Lyon.

However, they’ll need to rely on WA losing both their remaining games to advance directly to the final. Should they lose to Victoria, their fate will come down to other results, with South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania all capable of leapfrogging them on the table.

South Australia

The Redbacks are currently in third spot, one point behind the Blues. They’re facing a tough task against the might of the undefeated Alcohol.Think Again Western Warriors and need to win that match to be certain of advancing. Should they lose, they’ll be relying on NSW to beat Victoria on Sunday, and Queensland to defeat Tasmania on Tuesday to secure their place in the elimination final.

Victoria

The Bushrangers need to tame a NSW bowling attack featuring Starc and Cummins to keep their final hopes alive. Victoria have two wins from five matches and sit on 10 points and even if they do defeat NSW, there remains a chance they could be overtaken by Tasmania should the Tigers record a bonus-point win against Queensland on Tuesday.

Tasmania

Tasmania sit level on 10 points with Victoria having overcome a slow start to the tournament with wins against South Australia and the CA XI in their most recent matches.

Like the Bushrangers, their fate isn’t entirely in their own hands but with their final game to be played at Blundstone Arena on Tuesday, they will have the advantage of knowing exactly what is required heading into that match.

If South Australia and NSW both win, it’s season over. Should the Redbacks and NSW both lose, it’s likely the Tigers will need to claim a bonus point win against Queensland to move into the top three. And if SA lose but NSW win, any sort of victory against the Bulls will be enough.