ISLAMABAD: Australia’s national team secured a crucial victory over Afghanistan in the ICC Cricket World Cup on Tuesday, thanks to a magnificent performance by Glenn Maxwell.
With Australia now joining India and South Africa in the semi-finals stage, the race for the last remaining spot in the semifinals has become highly contested by three teams. Pakistan, New Zealand, and Afghanistan find themselves locked in a fierce contest to claim that spot.
As of Wednesday (today), the points table shows Afghanistan, Pakistan, and New Zealand all with 10 points, with each team having one group stage match remaining. However, Afghanistan’s net run rate (NRR) is in the negative at this stage, meaning they would need a substantial win against South Africa to even be in the race for the semifinals. Pakistan’s primary competitor for the only available semifinal spot is now New Zealand.
As of now, New Zealand holds the fifth position on the points table with an NRR of 0.398, while Pakistan is ranked sixth with an NRR of 0.036.
If New Zealand, in its upcoming match, beats Sri Lanka by 50 runs, Pakistan will need to defeat England by 180 runs. Similarly, if New Zealand beats Sri Lanka by just 1 run, Pakistan will have to seal a 131-run win against England.
In the event of Sri Lanka defeating New Zealand, Pakistan would simply need to win their match against England to qualify for the semis.
If the Sri Lanka-New Zealand match is washed out due to rain, Pakistan’s path to qualification will be determined by a victory over England.
The stakes are undeniably high as the cricketing world is anxious to see which of these three – Pakistan, New Zealand, or Afghanistan – secure the last coveted spot in the Cricket World Cup 2023 semifinals.
New Zealand and Sri Lanka will play on Thursday (09 November) at 13:30 (PST) at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
While, England and Pakistan will play on Saturday (11 November) 13:30 (PST) at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
