Australia’s thrilling victory over Afghanistan has secured their place in the ICC World Cup 2023 semi-finals, but Pakistan’s journey remains challenging. Their qualification prospects hang in the balance, with New Zealand as their main contender.
Glenn Maxwell’s explosive innings led Australia to a dramatic three-wicket win over Afghanistan, punching their ticket to the semi-finals. Afghanistan will face South Africa on November 10 in their final group stage match, and if they win, they will join Pakistan and New Zealand with 10 points each.
However, Afghanistan’s negative net run rate (NRR) necessitates a resounding victory against South Africa to stay in the semi-final hunt. Therefore, Pakistan’s primary competition for the last semi-final spot is New Zealand.
As it stands, New Zealand holds the fifth position with an NRR of 0.398, while Pakistan is sixth with an NRR of 0.036.
Qualification Scenarios
- If New Zealand beats Sri Lanka by 50 runs, Pakistan must defeat England by 180 runs.
- If New Zealand beats Sri Lanka by just 1 run, Pakistan must triumph over England by 131 runs.
- If Sri Lanka beats New Zealand, Pakistan simply needs to defeat England to secure their spot in the semis.
- In the event of a rain-washed clash between Sri Lanka and New Zealand, Pakistan can qualify by defeating England.
