Swashbuckling opener Fakhar Zaman and skipper Babar Azam kept Pakistan’s semi-final hopes alive as they beat New Zealand in a rain-affected clash at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. Zaman scored an unbeaten century which helped Pakistan edge past New Zealand by 21 runs on the DLS method as they have now the same points as Australia, Kiwis and Afghanistan which makes the semis race wide open.
The loss will hurt New Zealand as they managed to post their highest-ever total in World Cup history 401/6 but ended up on the losing side. With the fourth defeat in a row, they have put themselves in a tricky stage in the semi-final qualification.
Here’s a look at the semi-final qualification scenarios for all the teams:
India
India are already through into the World Cup semifinals.
South Africa
South Africa have also qualified for the semi-final.
Australia
Australia are marching ahead towards the semi-final as the win over England on Saturday have put them close to sealing a berth in the next round. They just now have to win on of their next two matches to get through. If they failed to win the next two, then it will be a tricky situation for them as they have to rely on other teams results and the NRR.
New Zealand
The defeat against Pakistan has put New Zealand in a tricky situation in the semifinal race. They had a chance to seal the semi-final report by winning Saturday’s clash but now they have to beat Sri Lanka and keep an eye on the other teams like Pakistan, Australia and Afghanistan results and their NRR.
Pakistan
The massive win over New Zealand has boosted Pakistan’s chances of qualifying for the semi-final, however, the rain didn’t help them much in terms of improving their NRR. With the win, Pakistan have now 8 points, the same as New Zealand and Afghanistan. However, they still have to beat England by a big margin and rely on other teams’ results.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan are level with the likes of New Zealand and Pakistan. Hashmatullah Shahidi and Co. will face Australia and South Africa next which will decide if they can cause an upset and find a place in the semifinals. They will need to win both games, or things could get tricky.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka suffered a massive 302-run defeat to India but mathematically they can still make it into the semifinals. The Lankan Lions can reach a maximum of 8 points by winning their remaining two games against Bangladesh and New Zealand. Kusal Mendis and Co. will hope that Pakistan, Australia and Afghanistan lose their remaining games for the Islanders to still have a chance for reaching the top four.
Netherlands
The Dutch fought valiantly but they are stuck on 4 points after their loss to Afghanistan. Mathematically, they can also qualify for the semifinals, but similar to Sri Lanka, they will hope the other teams in contention lose their remaining games, and goes without saying, the Netherlands will have to win their remaining games by a big margin against India and England.
Bangladesh
The Bangla Tigers cannot qualify for the semifinals but they will hope to fight to finish in the top 7 to secure a place in the Champions Trophy.
England
England are knocked out of the race after 33-run defeat against Australia on Saturday at Narendra Modi Stadium.
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