How can Pakistan go to the semi-finals after defeating Bangladesh? Pakistan defeat Bangladesh by seven wickets in Kolkata to move up to fifth place in the points table.
Pakistan broke their four-match losing streak in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. Defeating Bangladesh by seven wickets on Tuesday, October 31 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Pakistan climb to fifth place on the points table with three victories from seven matches and six points.
The Babar Azam-led team is still in the semi-finals race, but they must overcome multiple obstacles. Before securing a berth in the top four on the points table.
To qualify for the semi-finals, they must win both of their remaining games
Against New Zealand and England and pray that Australia and New Zealand lose all of their remaining games. Furthermore, they will have to hope that Afghanistan only wins one of their three remaining games, namely the one against Australia.
In this scenario, New Zealand, Australia, and Afghanistan will each end with eight points. Pakistan will advance to the semi-finals with ten points. However, the path will be difficult for the 1992 winners, since Australia (fourth with eight points) has remaining games against England, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh. As a result, the five-time winners will expect to overcome at least Bangladesh and Afghanistan in order to finish with 12 points and qualify for the semi-finals.
New Zealand, on the other hand, has three more games against South Africa. Pakistan, and Sri Lanka until the end of the tournament. Pakistan will have to give it their best to defeat the Kiwis by as large a margin as possible and hope for at least one more severe defeat. If all goes perfectly for the Men in Green, they will be able to defeat the Kiwis with a higher run rate despite both sides finishing with 10 points.
Afghanistan, who is now sixth on the points standings with six points from six matches. Another squad that might pose a challenge to Pakistan. The remaining matches for Hashmatullah Shahidi’s team are against the Netherlands, Australia, and South Africa.
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Afghanistan can close the doors for Pakistan qualification
Pakistan needs Afghanistan to maintain their incredible run and win Australia while losing their other two games to finish with eight points. If Afghanistan wins two of the remaining three matches, Pakistan will need to outperform their net run rate to make a credible case for semi-final qualifying.
However, if Afghanistan wins all of their remaining games and finishes with 12 points, Pakistan’s qualifying chances are over. As a result, the fate of the Babar Azam-led team is dependent on a number of external circumstances, but they must first win all of their remaining games for them to take impact.
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