Pakistan's Path to World Cup 2023 Semifinals Uncertain After Afghanistan's Win
- Posted on November 4, 2023
- Sports
- By Arijit Dutta
- 249 Views
In the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, Pakistan is striving to secure a spot in the semifinals as they prepare to face New Zealand at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. To achieve this, Pakistan needs to finish among the top four teams in the tournament. However, their qualification prospects have been impacted by Afghanistan's recent victory over the Netherlands.
In the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup
2023, Pakistan is striving to secure a spot in the semifinals as they prepare
to face New Zealand at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. To achieve this,
Pakistan needs to finish among the top four teams in the tournament. However,
their qualification prospects have been impacted by Afghanistan's recent
victory over the Netherlands.
The victory by Afghanistan in the World Cup contest has led to a change in Pakistan's ranking. They have now slipped from the fifth position to the sixth, currently holding six points from seven matches with a net run rate (NRR) of -0.024. If Pakistan manages to win their upcoming matches against New Zealand and England, they will accumulate ten points in nine matches. However, they also need Afghanistan to lose points in either of their remaining two matches against Australia and South Africa.
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At the very least, Pakistan must secure
victories in both of their upcoming matches and work on improving their NRR.
This is essential in case they end up tied with any other team in terms of
points for the crucial fourth spot. A loss in either of these two matches could
severely diminish Pakistan's chances of progressing to the semifinals.
Pakistan is also keeping a close eye on
the match between Australia and England, scheduled for Saturday. They are
hoping for Australia's defeat in this game, even though there is a considerable
difference in NRR between the two teams. Australia currently holds eight points
with a significantly superior NRR of 0.970, which is a challenge for Pakistan
to match.
As the World Cup 2023 progresses,
Pakistan faces a challenging road ahead in its quest for a spot in the
semifinals, with its fate intertwined with the outcomes of key matches
involving other teams, including Afghanistan, Australia, and England.