World Cup 2023: After facing a significant defeat by 8 wickets against Afghanistan in the ongoing ICC ODI World Cup 2023, Pakistan’s journey to qualify for the semi-finals of the tournament has become more challenging. Pakistan’s campaign in the tournament had a promising start under the leadership of Babar Azam, where they secured wins against the Netherlands and Sri Lanka. However, their fortunes took a turn for the worse, resulting in three consecutive losses.
World Cup 2023
Recent Defeats
- India defeated Pakistan by 7 wickets.
- Australia secured a victory over Pakistan by 62 runs.
- Pakistan suffered an 8-wicket loss to Afghanistan.
Pakistan currently finds itself in fifth position in the points table, but they still have a mathematical chance to make it to the semi-finals, thanks to their decent net run rate.
Remaining Matches
Pakistan has four matches remaining in the tournament. They will face South Africa next, followed by matches against Bangladesh, New Zealand, and England. The challenge lies in the strength of New Zealand and South Africa, who have performed well in the competition.
Path to the Semi-finals
To reach the semi-finals, Pakistan must aim for victory in all of their remaining matches, which would accumulate a total of 12 points. However, even with six wins, Pakistan’s fate will depend on the outcomes of other teams, particularly Australia.
If Pakistan and Australia both win all their remaining matches, they will have to hope that New Zealand faces three defeats, as both Pakistan and Australia have matches against New Zealand. While this scenario is somewhat unlikely, Pakistan and Australia could potentially secure the third and fourth positions if they win with significant margins.
If Pakistan accumulates 10 points, the situation will be as follows:
- If Pakistan loses even one of its matches, the path becomes much more challenging. In this case, Pakistan may not reach the top three positions, but they will remain in contention for the fourth position.
- If Pakistan secures 5 wins, they will need to rely on Australia losing at least two more matches, which would bring the net run rate into play. If Australia loses three out of its four matches, they could be eliminated, allowing Pakistan to qualify.
- If Pakistan only manages to win two out of its remaining four matches, they may consider themselves out of the running for the semi-finals. However, depending on the performance of other teams in the tournament, there might still be a slim chance.
In conclusion, Pakistan’s path to the semi-finals of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 is challenging but not impossible. It depends on a combination of their own performance, the results of other teams, and potentially, net run rate differentials.
