New Zealand have shattered the dreams of the Pakistan cricket team of reaching the semi-finals of the ICC World Cup 2023 as they defeated Sri Lanka by five wickets in the 41st match of the mega tournament at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, India, on Thursday.
The Black Caps’ crucial win has made Pakistan’s path to the World Cup — which was already difficult — nearly impossible as they require a massive win over England in their last match in Kolkata on November 11. The qualifying scenario for the Green Shirts has become almost impossible after the massive victory of the BlackCaps
If Pakistan bat first against England, they must beat them by 287 runs. If Pakistan bowls first against England, they must chase down the target with 284 balls to spare, which means in just 2.4 overs. India, South Africa and Australia have already booked their place in the mega event’s semi-final and as of now, three teams — New Zealand, Afghanistan and Pakistan — are fighting for the one vacant position.
As things stand, the Black Caps seem to be in a dominating position to qualify and they are followed by Pakistan while Afghanistan’s position is the weakest courtesy of their negative net run rate (NRR). It is really alarming and sad as the cricket fans have to pray for the wins of other teams in the mega tournament, sometimes rain, sometimes for Qudrat Ka Nizam for advancement to the next round of the mega events like the ICC World Cup. There is a strong case that we can’t play on merit and reach the next stages of the mega tournament with our own performance rather than depending on others.
