New Zealand’s massive 5-wicket win over Sri Lanka hammered the final nail in the coffin for Pakistan leaving the 1992 Champions on the cusp of being eliminated from the race for the World Cup semifinals. Babar Azam and Co. will have to pull off a miraculous victory over England by 287 runs to keep alive their hopes of reaching the semifinals after the Kiwis defeated Sri Lanka at Bengaluru on Thursday.
Kane Williamson’s men reached 10 points and cemented their claim for the last remaining semifinal berth, however, their victory over Sri Lanka has pushed Pakistan to the verge of elimination.
Pakistan were level with New Zealand on 8 points before the fixture on Thursday, however, the Kiwis’ win combined with their massive Net Run Rate (NRR), means Babar and his men have a mission impossible on their hands.
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Pakistan will face England on November 11 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata knowing that their fate is in their hands, but they will have to beat the defending champions by a massive margin of 287 runs.
That’s not all, Pakistan will have to make sure that their skipper Babar Azam wins the toss and elects to bat first, if England get the chance to bat ahead of Pakistan, then the Green Army will have a daunting task at hand.
India vs Pakistan semifinal possible?
While many fans wanted Pakistan to qualify for the World Cup semifinal against India, considering New Zealand had beaten the Men in Blue back in the 2019 World Cup, Babar Azam and Co. need to ensure that they bat first and put up a massive total on the board.
If Pakistan bat first against England, they will have to win by a margin of 287 runs, and if Pakistan chase, they will have to bowl out England below a total of 50 runs, and chase the target of 51 in two overs, of if England score 100, Pakistan will have to complete the chase in 3 overs.
Here’s a breakdown of what Pakistan will have to score and them restrict England to go past New Zea;and’s run-rate
- Score 300 runs and restrict England to 13
- Score 400 runs and restrict England to 112
- Score 450 runs and restrict England to 162
- Score 500 runs and restrict England to 211
Afghanistan meanwhile need to win by 438 runs to go past New Zealand’s net run rate of +0.743.
The chances of the India vs New Zealand semifinal, a repeat of the 2019 World Cup are nearly 99.9%, while Australia are set to meet South Africa in the other semifinal.