With Australia booking their spot in the semi-finals of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, along with the top two teams - India and South Africa, all eyes are on the fourth spot, which as of now is up for grabs for both Pakistan and New Zealand, both having won 4 matches each out of the total 8 matches they have played so far.
While both Pakistan and New Zealand have the same points, the black caps find themselves placed above Babar Azam’s men in terms of their net run rate.
So now, the question cricket fans are asking is what are the chances of Pakistan finding a semi-final berth? If Pakistan manages to scrape through to the top four, then the fans are in for a mouth watering semi final clash as they will meet rivals India at Kolkata's Eden Gardens stadium on November 15.
While New Zealand is facing Sri Lanka at Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday, November 9, Pakistan will clash with England in their final match of the league on Saturday, November 11.
For Pakistan to reach the semi-finals, they obviously will have to win their match against England on Saturday and also hope that Sri Lanka will defeat New Zealand on Thursday.If New Zealand manages to win against Sri Lanka, Pakistan can still enter the semi finals, if they defeat England by a margin of 130 runs more than the margin by which New Zealand defeats Sri Lanka, to ensure that they go past the run rate of the Kiwis.
If New Zealand manages to win against Sri Lanka, Pakistan can still enter the semi finals, if they defeat England by a margin of 130 runs more than the margin by which New Zealand defeats Sri Lanka, to ensure that they go past the run rate of the Kiwis.
In the event of both Pakistan and New Zealand losing their matches against England and Sri Lanka respectively, then New Zealand will go ahead to the semis courtesy of their higher net run rate.
Weather factor
Meanwhile, New Zealand will be hoping that weather doesn't play spoilsport in Bengaluru, during their game against Sri Lanka.Weather reports have predicted that the city might receive heavy spells of rains in the coming days. If the match happens to get washed out, then the points will be divided with both teams getting one point each. In this case, Pakistan will enter the semi-finals if they win against England.
Afghanistan factor
One cannot ignore a looming threat for both New Zealand and Pakistan in the form of Afghanistan, which has managed to upset quite a few times during the tournament. The subcontinental team led by Hashmatullah Shahidi can reach the semi-finals if both New Zealand and Pakistan lose their respective games and if they defeat a strong South African team on Friday, November 10, at Ahmedabad.