Pakistan’s journey in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 has been a rollercoaster ride, marked by consecutive defeats, leaving their fate hanging on a precarious thread of possibilities. With four losses out of six matches, their hope for a semi-final spot now largely rests on the outcomes of other teams’ games, particularly those involving Australia.
To keep their dreams alive, Pakistan needs not just victories in their upcoming clashes against Bangladesh, New Zealand, and England, but they must secure these wins convincingly. However, their chances extend beyond their performance, relying heavily on other match results to tilt in their favor.
The clearest route for Pakistan’s advancement entails Australia suffering three defeats in their remaining four games, an improbable scenario given two of their matches are against seemingly weaker opponents like Afghanistan and Bangladesh. Therefore, Pakistan’s aspirations lie in the realm of upsets in the tournament.
Moreover, Pakistan is reliant on New Zealand winning three out of their remaining matches, including one against them. If Australia manages to avoid a shock defeat against Bangladesh or Afghanistan but falls to New Zealand, then the Net Run Rate (NRR) could become a decisive factor.
For Pakistan to qualify, a series of highly specific results in other matches need to align perfectly
Match 27: New Zealand beats Australia
Match 28: Bangladesh beats Netherlands
Match 29: India beats England
Match 30: Sri Lanka beats Afghanistan
Match 31: Pakistan beats Bangladesh
Match 32: New Zealand beats South Africa
Match 33: India beats Sri Lanka
Match 34: Afghanistan beats Netherlands
Match 35: Pakistan beats New Zealand
Match 36: England beats Australia
Match 37: India beats South Africa
Match 38: Sri Lanka beats Bangladesh
Match 39: Australia beats Afghanistan
Match 40: England beats the Netherlands
Match 41: New Zealand beats Sri Lanka
Match 42: South Africa beats Afghanistan
Match 43: Bangladesh beats Australia
Match 44: Pakistan beats England
Match 45: India beats Netherlands
If all the results go according to the above-stated “wish” then India will finish with 18, New Zealand 14, South Africa will finish with 12, and Pakistan 10 points above Australia and Sri Lanka who will have 8 points each. If Australia wins against Bangladesh in match 43, which is highly likely, then Pakistan and Australia will tie for 10 points each.
The if and but scenario will be clearer for Pakistan by next mid-week and the scenarios and wishes for Pakistan will keep changing according to results in coming games.
