In a thrilling encounter, Pakistan secured a crucial victory over New Zealand by 21 runs, utilizing the DLS method, in the 35th match of the ICC World Cup 2023. This win has kept Pakistan’s hopes alive for a spot in the semi-finals of the mega event.
However, despite their recent success, Pakistan’s journey to the World Cup semi-finals remains an uphill battle. Their fate is not entirely in their own hands, and they are heavily reliant on the outcomes of matches involving New Zealand and Afghanistan.
For Pakistan to have a chance at reaching the semi-finals, they not only need to defeat England on November 11 in Kolkata but also hope for a favorable turn of events. Specifically, they are counting on Sri Lanka to triumph against New Zealand in Bengaluru on November 9. Furthermore, Pakistan require Afghanistan to lose at least one of their remaining two matches, ideally both, as the Afghans share the same points (8) with Babar Azam’s team despite playing one fewer game.
The ideal scenario for Pakistan involves a series of results in the upcoming matches. These results are as follows:
- England vs. Australia (Match 36) – Australia’s victory
- India vs. South Africa (Match 37) – India’s victory
- Sri Lanka vs. Bangladesh (Match 38) – Sri Lanka’s victory
- Australia vs. Afghanistan (Match 39) – Australia’s victory
- England vs. Netherlands (Match 40) – England’s victory
- New Zealand vs. Sri Lanka (Match 41) – Sri Lanka’s victory
- South Africa vs. Afghanistan (Match 42) – South Africa’s victory
- Bangladesh vs. Australia (Match 43) – Australia’s victory
- Pakistan vs. England (Match 44) – Pakistan’s victory
- India vs. Netherlands (Match 45) – India’s victory
Should all these results align with the above-mentioned scenario, India would lead the points table with 18 points, followed by South Africa with 14 points. Australia would claim the third spot, level with South Africa in terms of points. Pakistan, with 10 points, would secure the fourth position, earning a place in the knockout stage of the World Cup. This path to the semi-finals is a challenging one, but Pakistan remains hopeful and determined to secure their spot in the next stage of the tournament.
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