Pakistan Out Of 2023 World Cup? This Is How Babar Azam's Men Can Qualify For Semifinal
Pakistan have lost four of their six matches [AP]
Pakistan's journey in the ICC World Cup 2023 has been nothing short of abysmal. Led by Babar Azam, the Men in Green kickstarted their World Cup campaign with two thumping wins, but what followed next was no less than a nightmare for them. As a result, they are reeling at the sixth position in the ten-team points table and will be desperate to turn things around when they take on Bangladesh, who have had a similar fate in the competition.
Are Pakistan Out Of 2023 World Cup?
Currently, Pakistan are placed sixth in the league-stage standings with two wins and four defeats. They have three matches left in the tournament, with their semifinal hopes hanging by a thread. However, they haven't been eliminated yet and need several results to go in their favour to make a miraculous entry into the semifinals.
How can Pakistan qualify for 2023 World Cup semifinal?
As mentioned above, Pakistan have three league-stage games left and will take on Bangladesh, New Zealand and England going forward. First of all, they must win these three games convincingly to keep their semifinal hopes alive. They have already lost four encounters and can't afford another defeat to shatter their World Cup dream.
Furthermore, Pakistan would like several results to go in their favour and help them secure a berth in the semifinals.
Qualification scenario for Pakistan
- England, Afghanistan and Bangladesh defeat Australia
- New Zealand defeat Sri Lanka
- India defeat the Netherlands
- South Africa and Sri Lanka defeat Afghanistan
- India or Bangladesh defeat Sri Lanka
They need England, Afghanistan and Bangladesh to defeat Australia in their respective group-stage games. Besides this, Babar Azam and co. will pray for New Zealand to thump Sri Lanka and India to steamroll the Netherlands.
While New Zealand and India will likely emerge victorious against the Lankans and the Dutch, respectively, defeating an in-form Australia will be an uphill task for England, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
Besides this, Pakistan will need South Africa and Sri Lanka to secure a win over Afghanistan, placed seventh in the points table. They will also require Sri Lanka to incur another loss against either India or Bangladesh to avoid a group-stage exit from the tournament.
Although these results are mathematically possible, there is a very slim chance that Pakistan will qualify for the semifinal.
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