Pakistan’s aspirations for a spot in the Cricket World Cup semi-finals suffered a significant setback following New Zealand’s resounding five-wicket Victory over Sri Lanka in Bengaluru. The BlackCaps decisive win positions them as the likely fourth team to secure a semi-final berth.
New Zealand’s win extended their lead on the points table, making Pakistan’s task to match the Kiwis at 10 points a tough challenge, especially considering the disparity in net run rate.
New Zealand’s victory propelled them to 10 points in 9 matches, placing them two points ahead of Afghanistan and Pakistan, who have a game in hand. This win marked New Zealand’s eighth consecutive triumph over Sri Lanka, solidifying their place in the semi-finals for the fourth successive time in ODI World Cups.
As the rain stayed away in Bengaluru after threatening to play spoilsport, New Zealand came out with a clinical all-round display. Opting to field after winning the toss, Kane Williamson’s decision proved fruitful as Trent Boult spearheaded the attack, dismantling the Sri Lankan top-order. Despite Kusal Perera’s quickfire 51 and Maheesh Theekshana’s unbeaten 43, Sri Lanka struggled to a total of 171, losing 5 wickets in the first 10 overs.
While Sri Lanka’s bowlers managed to take 5 wickets, they were never truly in match. Solid performances from openers Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra, along with a quickfire 43 from Daryl Mitchell, guided New Zealand to victory with 26.4 overs to spare.
Pakistan also pinned hopes on rain gods but ‘Qudrat ka Nizam’ did not help them this time. The absence of rain meant that New Zealand’s win was undisputed, eliminating the possibility of a washout that would have limited them to nine points and given Pakistan a chance to qualify by defeating England. Now, the odds are heavily against Pakistan, and the required margin for qualification appears nearly unachievable.
How can Pakistan qualify for the semi-finals?
If Pakistan bats first and scores 300, they need to restrict England to 13. They need to maintain a margin of 287 runs if they score more than 300 runs in Kolkata.
If Pakistan bowls first, their chances look very bleak. Even if they bowl out England for 100, they need to chase down the total in 2.5 overs, a win with 283 balls to spare.
Afghanistan face a more difficult task as their defeat to Australia saw them lose the opportunity to have destiny in their own hands. Afghanistan had Australia reeling at 92 for 7 after posting 291 in Mumbai.
However, a sensational innings by Glenn Maxwell (201 not out) helped Australia pull off an improbable victory and book their place in the semi-finals.
India, Australia, and South Africa have already secured their spots in the World Cup semi-finals. While Pakistan technically retains a mathematical chance to move ahead of New Zealand in the points table, the looks impossible.
For Pakistan, reaching the semi-finals in the looks really hard now, leaving Pakistani fans and the team alike facing an uphill battle in their next match against England.
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