If the match is up, can Pakistan still reach the semi-finals? If you are reading this right now, you must be one of the few Pakistani fans still hoping for the team to qualify for the World Cup semi-finals, but we have some very good news for you. Is.
Pakistan’s journey to India this World Cup has been troubled and the team has lost four matches in a row for the first time in the history of the World Cup after losing to South Africa last Friday.
Making a good start to the World Cup, Pakistan first defeated the Netherlands by 81 runs and then chased down Sri Lanka’s record-breaking target to win by six wickets.
However, the match between Pakistan and India on October 14 at the Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium, Ahmedabad changed everything.
While the team was heavily defeated by seven wickets against India, the Pakistani team’s performance against Australia was also poor. Then, after an upset loss to Afghanistan in Chennai and a one-wicket defeat against South Africa, Pakistan’s access to the semi-finals has now become extremely difficult.
The team will now have to win their remaining three matches as well as depend on the results of other matches to reach the semi-finals and not just one or two teams but multiple teams.
Pakistan’s schedule and position on the points table
Pakistan’s team is currently sixth in the points table and has only four points after playing six matches.
Fifth-placed Sri Lanka also has four points but has a slightly better net run rate than Pakistan and has played only five matches so far.
Sri Lanka will play their next match on Monday against Afghanistan, which has increased in importance in terms of the points table.
Afghanistan also has four points and has beaten England and Pakistan and has also played only four matches so far.
The Netherlands team, who have beaten South Africa and Bangladesh in this World Cup, have four points after six matches, but their net run rate has dropped significantly after their massive 309-run loss to Australia.
Pakistan will play their next match against Bangladesh on Tuesday, October 31 in Calcutta. So far, the Bangladesh team has won only against Afghanistan, while in their last match, they also faced a defeat against the Netherlands at the same ground.
After that, the Pakistan team will face New Zealand in Bengaluru on November 4. This is the same high-scoring ground where Pakistan lost to Australia. The New Zealand team is currently in the third position in the points table with eight points.
It should be noted that New Zealand also defeated Pakistan in the warm-up match of the World Cup.
After that, Pakistan will play their last match against England on November 10 in Calcutta. The England team is currently at the bottom of the points table.
The results of the remaining matches that can benefit Pakistan
According to cricket analyst and statistician Mazhar Arshad, the best chance for Pakistan to reach the semi-finals would be for Pakistan to win all three of their matches and New Zealand to lose all three of their matches. New Zealand’s next three matches are against Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka.
If that happens, the New Zealand team, who are currently third with eight points, will not be able to increase their points and Pakistan will be able to win their remaining three matches to clinch the fourth position in the points table.
Not only this, Pakistan has to hope that the results of the Sri Lanka and Afghanistan matches will also come in their favor.
Pakistan will want these two teams to fail to reach 10 points otherwise the situation will be known through net run rates which depend on the results of the upcoming matches.
Afghanistan team will play matches against Netherlands, South Africa, and Australia after Sri Lanka while Sri Lanka will face India, Bangladesh, and New Zealand after tomorrow’s match. It is necessary for Pakistan to defeat New Zealand.
As Sri Lanka might have a heavy load in the match against Bangladesh, Pakistan will have to hope for Afghanistan’s win in the match between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan.
Now you might be thinking that Australia also has eight points after six matches and their net run rate is lower than New Zealand, so why is Pakistan’s semi-final not dependent on their results?
The answer is that Australia has to play their next three matches against England, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh which are slightly easier matches than New Zealand.
If Australia manages to win even one of their matches, they will have ten points and it will once again come down to net run rate.
Anything can happen in the game of cricket and if table toppers South Africa can lose to the Netherlands, any team can lose to any team on any given day. However, Australia’s return to form at the moment suggests that their chances of reaching the semi-finals are bright.
The Netherlands’ next three matches are against Afghanistan, England, and India, and despite winning the rest of their matches, it may depend on a net run rate that is not in their favor.
