Chennai: Pakistan’s World Cup campaign is on shaky ground after suffering four consecutive defeats. Their fate now hinges on the outcomes of matches involving Australia, with Pakistan hoping for upsets caused by Afghanistan or Bangladesh against the Australians.
Pakistan has played six matches, winning only two, and currently holds four points in the standings. Their upcoming matches include Bangladesh, New Zealand, and England. To have any chance of advancing, Pakistan not only needs to win these three remaining games convincingly but also relies on other match results going in their favor.
The most straightforward path for Pakistan would be to see Australia lose three out of their four remaining games. However, this seems unlikely as two of Australia’s matches are against weaker opponents, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. Therefore, Pakistan will be rooting for upsets in the tournament.
Pakistan would also require New Zealand to win three of their remaining matches, including one against Pakistan. If Australia avoids an upset against Bangladesh or Afghanistan but loses to New Zealand, Net Run Rate (NRR) could become a determining factor.
For Pakistan to qualify, the following results would be beneficial:
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 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 results align with the above “wish list,” then India will have 18 points, New Zealand 14, South Africa 12, and Pakistan 10 points. Australia and Sri Lanka will have 8 points each. If Australia wins against Bangladesh in match 43, as expected, Pakistan and Australia will both have 10 points.
The situation will become clearer for Pakistan in the coming week, with scenarios and hopes evolving based on the outcomes of upcoming matches.
