Pakistan’s victory over New Zealand has left the Cricket World Cup 2023 semi-final race wide open.
Pakistan kept their hopes of reaching the semi-final of the Cricket World Cup alive by beating New Zealand via DLS in a rain-affected clash at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, on Saturday. Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman was the star for the Men in Green as his impressive century ensured they now have equal points with New Zealand and Afghanistan, leaving the semi-final race wide open.
Notably, New Zealand’s loss against Pakistan also confirmed South Africa’s place in the semi-finals.
With the first two places covered, the race is now for the last two places, which still have 4 contenders.
Here’s a look at the semi-final qualification scenarios for all 4 teams:
Pakistan
Pakistan looked down and out after the first innings as New Zealand posted a mammoth 401 at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. However, Fakhar Zaman’s impressive innings along with the help of rain, the team managed to keep their semi-final hopes alive.
With the victory, Pakistan now has 8 points. However, they are still behind New Zealand due to a lower NRR.
For Pakistan to qualify:
- Afghanistan will have to lose both matches.
- Sri Lanka will have to beat New Zealand.
- If New Zealand wins by 50 runs, Pak will need to win by 180 runs.
- If New Zealand 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 place in the semi-finals.
Read also
Australia
The five-time World Cup champions recorded their fifth victory of the tournament on Saturday after defeating England. Australia is now in third place with 8 points on the scoreboard and will have to win at least one of its two remaining matches to qualify for the semi-final.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan is currently 6th in the points table and is level with New Zealand and Pakistan with 8 points. Afghanistan will need to win both matches to knock Pakistan and New Zealand out of the World Cup.
