ICC World Cup 2023 Qualification Scenarios: How can Pakistan qualify for semi final after New Zealand's win over Sri Lanka?

Pakistan’s hopes for a semi-final qualification in the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 are looking bleak as New Zealand have beaten Sri Lanka by five wickets in their last league fixture at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. Notably, Pakistan desperately wanted New Zealand to lose to Sri Lanka to make things easier for them. However, neither Sri Lanka nor the weather forecast could help them as the Kiwis chased down the target of 172 in 23.2 overs which took them to ten points and further boosted their net run rate.

Pakistan’s hopes were shattered in the first innings itself as Sri Lanka were reduced to 128/9 after 32.1 overs. However, a valiant 43-run stand between Maheesh Theekshana (38* off 91) and Dilshan Madushanka (19 off 48) for the last wicket helped their side cross the 170-run mark. In the second innings, valuable contributions from Devon Conway (45 off 42), Rachin Ravindra (42 off 34) and Daryl Mitchell (43 off 31) helped New Zealand breeze past the Lankan Lions.

Following a dominant win by New Zealand, Pakistan face an uphill task to qualify for the semi-finals. The Babar Azam-led side will be locking horns with England in their last league game on Saturday, November 11 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. According to the International Cricket Council (ICC) official website, if Pakistan bat first, they need to win by a margin of 287 runs and if they bowl first, they need to dismiss England for 50 runs and chase the target in two overs or chase down 100 runs in three overs.

Also Check: ODI World Cup 2023 Points Table

Pakistan faced a similar situation in the 2019 World Cup

All of these look highly improbable as England are also coming into the game after beating Netherlands by 160 runs. Notably, the Men in Green faced a similar task in the 2019 edition of the World Cup as well where they had to beat Bangladesh by over 300-run margin in their last league game but instead won the match by 94 runs.

Hence, New Zealand look all set to finish in the top four and will face India in the first semi-final on November 15 at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. On the other hand, Australia and South Africa are confirmed to face off in the second semi-final on November 16 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

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