A miserable day of weather in Melbourne has left Ireland with a duckworth-lewis victory over England, and New Zealand with a no result against Afghanistan at the T20 World Cup.
The two results will flip Group 1 at the tournament on its head completely after Australia had originally lost the opening game of the Super 12 stage against New Zealand in Sydney on Saturday evening.
That loss - which left Australia with a net run rate totalling negative four - had all but ended their tournament on the spot.
It was only 12 months ago that South Africa failed to make the semi-finals of the tournament despite winning four of their five group games.
Qualifying from a six-team group when only two teams go through is about as difficult as it gets, and anything less than five wins means you won't be assured.
Australia's chances of getting out of Group 1 only seemed to take a further hit on Tuesday evening in Perth. A win against Sri Lanka was critical to stay alive, but taking 16.3 overs to chase the score down - particularly when part of that was captain Aaron Finch scoring just 31 runs from 42 balls - arguably left the tournament hosts in a position as bad as the one they entered the evening in.
But that position improved considerably on a rain-hit day in Melbourne on Wednesday.
Neither game - England up against Ireland, or New Zealand taking on Afghanistan - would be able to reach their natural conclusion.
Instead, Ireland would pick up a narrow win on Duckworth-Lewis against England by just five runs, while the covers were barely off for long enough at the Melbourne Cricket Ground during the evening for an inspection to be completed, let alone play to start in the Black Caps clash with Afghanistan, who lost to England in their opening clash on Sunday evening.
That now means that after two games for all six teams in Group 1, virtually all six teams are still alive, and Australia's game with England on Friday evening - also to be played in Melbourne - becomes a virtual knockout before the semi-finals get underway.
All being equal, and without further rain, you would expect New Zealand are going to be able to comfortably take out Group 1. They will have to play England during the tournament, but other games against Sri Lanka and Ireland should be winnable, and the side sit a point ahead of the four teams directly behind them.
It does go without saying that New Zealand's clash with England will also serve as a critical encounter at the top of the group.
Here is the current ladder, remaining fixtures, and how Aaustralia can qualify for the knockout rounds.
Current Group 1 ladder
1. New Zealand - 1 win, 1 no result, 0 losses, 3 points (+4.450 NRR)
2. Sri Lanka - 1 win, 0 no result, 1 loss, 2 points (+0.450 NRR)
3. England - 1 win, 0 no result, 1 loss, 2 points (+0.239 NRR)
4. Ireland - 1 win, 0 no result, 1 loss, 2 points (-1.169 NRR)
5. Australia - 1 win, 0 no result, 1 loss, 2 points (-1.555 NRR)
6. Afghanistan - 0 win, 1 no result, 1 loss, 1 point (-0.620 NRR)
After 2 matches per team.
Remaining Group 1 fixtures
Friday, October 28, 3pm - Afghanistan vs Ireland
Friday, October 28, 7pm - Australia vs England
Saturday, October 29, 7pm - New Zealand vs Sri Lanka
Monday, October 31, 7pm - Australia vs Ireland
Tuesday, November 1, 3pm - Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka
Tuesday, November 1, 7pm - England vs New Zealand
Friday, November 4, 3pm - Ireland vs New Zealand
Friday, November 4, 7pm - Australia vs Afghanistan
Saturday, November 5, 7pm - Sri Lanka vs England
What Australia need to make the semi-finals
Scenario 1: If Australia win against England
This is all but a must-win scenario for both teams looking at remaining fixtures and the possible make up of the group ladder at the end of the Super 12 round of the World Cup.
The winner of this game will directly move to four points. For England, with a game to come against New Zealand, it's all the more vital. Australia winning here would give them an enormous leg up ahead of games over Ireland and Afghanistan, with wins in each of those on the back of a win over England confirming their spot in the semi-finals of the tournament.
Based on remaining fixtures, there is virtually no way for Australia to miss the semi-finals if they win all three games.
Scenario 2: If Australia lose to England
The much more complicated scenario is Australia losing to England.
Should that happen, they would remain on two points, and likely with a wildly inferior net run rate.
That would mean big wins over Ireland and Afghanistan would be non-negotiable to make the semi-finals to begin with.
They would also likely need New Zealand to run away with the group, beating England, Sri Lanka and Ireland in their three remaining games comprehensively.
That would also hand England an extra loss, meaning that even with a win over Sri Lanka, they would end on the same amount of points as Australia, bringing the semi-final spot down to a net run rate battle.
Sri Lanka are also a threat, but a los to England and New Zealand would end their chances virtually on the spot, while Australia beating Ireland and Afghanistan would ensure they can't compete.
Net run rate may yet still come into it based on those games, and so, if Australia are going to lose to England, then the size of the loss, combined with the size of victories in their final two games, could ultimately decide their fate.
Of course, rain and no results could yet come into the what likely to be a fluid situation for the remainder of the tournament and the make up of the finals, but for the time being, the game against England is win or bust for Australia.
