PAK, NZ, AFG & AUS in contention for 2 spots
Pakistan’s win over New Zealand has made the Cricket World Cup 2023 semi-final race wide open.
Pakistan kept their hopes of making it to the Cricket World Cup semi-final alive as they beat New Zealand via DLS in a rain-affected clash at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru on Saturday. Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman was the star for the Men in Green as his stunning century ensured they have now the same points as New Zealand and Afghanistan which makes the semis race wide open.
Notably, New Zealand’s loss against Pakistan also confirmed South Africa’s semi-final spot.
With the first two spots filled, the race is now for the final two spots which still have 4 contenders.
Here’s a look at the semi-final qualification scenarios for the 4 teams:
Pakistan
Pakistan looked down and out after the first innings when New Zealand posted a mammoth 401 at Chinnaswamy Stadium. However, Fakhar Zaman’s stunning innings along with the help of rain, the team managed to keep their semi-final hopes alive.
With the win, Pakistan have now 8 points. However, they still are behind New Zealand due to inferior NRR.
For Pakistan to qualify:
- Afghanistan will have to lose both their matches.
- Sri Lanka will have to beat New Zealand.
- If NZ wins by 50 runs, Pak will need to win by 180 runs.
- If NZ wins by 1 run, Pak will need to win by 131 runs.
New Zealand
The loss against Pakistan was New Zealand’s fourth consecutive defeat in the tournament. However, their fate is still in their hands as they need to beat Sri Lanka by a significant margin to confirm their semi-final berth.
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Australia
The five-time World Cup holders registered their fifth win of the tournament on Saturday after defeating England. Australia are now on third place with 8 points on the board and will have to win at least one of their remaining two games to qualify for the semi-final.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan are currently sixth on the points table and are level with the likes of New Zealand, Pakistan with 8 points. Afghanistan will need to win both games to kick out both Pakistan and New Zealand out of the World Cup.
