Pakistan’s World Cup hopes are uncertain as they rely on Australia losing and New Zealand winning.
The pressure is mounting on Babar Azam and his men as they find themselves in a precarious situation with just two wins in six games, totaling four points on the tournament table.
For Pakistan to secure a spot in the World Cup playoffs, their clearest route is to see Australia stumble in three of their four remaining matches. However, this appears unlikely given that two of these games are against comparatively weaker opponents – Afghanistan and Bangladesh. As a result, Pakistan is pinning their hopes on potential upsets in the tournament.
In addition to Australia’s challenges, Pakistan will need New Zealand to win three of their remaining matches, with one victory coming against Pakistan themselves. If Australia avoids any significant upsets but loses to New Zealand, then Net Run Rate (NRR) could become a critical factor in determining their fate.
To secure qualification, Pakistan needs several specific results to play out:
- New Zealand must defeat Australia in Match 27.
- Bangladesh should beat the Netherlands in Match 28.
- India needs to defeat England in Match 29.
- Sri Lanka must overcome Afghanistan in Match 30.
- Pakistan should win against Bangladesh in Match 31.
- New Zealand must beat South Africa in Match 32.
- India needs to beat Sri Lanka in Match 33.
- Afghanistan should beat the Netherlands in Match 34.
- Pakistan must win against New Zealand in Match 35.
- England must defeat Australia in Match 36.
- India should beat South Africa in Match 37.
- Sri Lanka must overcome Bangladesh in Match 38.
- Australia needs to beat Afghanistan in Match 39.
- England should beat the Netherlands in Match 40.
- New Zealand must overcome Sri Lanka in Match 41.
- South Africa must beat Afghanistan in Match 42.
- Bangladesh should beat Australia in Match 43.
- Pakistan must triumph against England in Match 44.
- India should beat the Netherlands in Match 45.
If, by some miraculous turn of fate, all these results materialize as Pakistan hopes, then India will finish with 18 points, New Zealand with 14, South Africa with 12, and Pakistan with 10 points, edging out Australia and Sri Lanka, who would be tied at 8 points each. However, it’s important to note that Australia remains a formidable opponent, and their win against Bangladesh in Match 43 could throw another curveball into Pakistan’s plans.
The if’s and but’s of this scenario will become clearer for Pakistan by next mid-week, and their World Cup dreams will continue to hang in the balance, with their fortunes changing with each twist and turn in the tournament’s results. Cricket fans worldwide eagerly await the outcome of these critical matches as the World Cup drama unfolds.
ICC World Cup 2023 Full Highlights
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