India’s defeat to South Africa has left fans wondering if Pakistan can still qualify for the T20 World Cup semi-finals.
Since Pakistan’s defeats to India and Zimbabwe, many of our hopes now hinge on how the group’s other competitors perform. On Sunday, three Group 2 games in the 2022 T20 World Cup were supposed to determine Pakistan’s chances of progressing to the semi-final round. Well, the day started with a thriller win of Bangladesh over Zimbabwe, and Pakistan defeated the Netherlands by six wickets in their first tournament match. However, the decisive match that would have determined their chances of advancing to the knockout phase did not go their way, as India lost to South Africa by five wickets in Perth.
So, Can Pakistan still qualify for Semi-finals after India’s defeat?
There is still a slim chance for Pakistan to qualify for the semi-finals. Pakistan must win the upcoming matches against South Africa and Bangladesh on November 3rd and 6th, respectively. If Pakistan wins both games, it will finish with 6 points. However, these points won’t be enough if Bangladesh does not defeat India. Our hopes now depend on the upcoming matches and how other teams in the group perform.
According to espncricinfo, if Bangladesh defeats India, and India defeats Zimbabwe, the three Asian teams could all finish on six points, battling for a single spot. Then, Pakistan’s relatively good NRR of 0.765 may play a role, as India’s may fall if they lose a game.
So Pakistan also needs to win their next two games by significant margins to have a chance in terms of NRR.
Upcoming decisive fixtures:
Wednesday 02 November: Zimbabwe v Netherlands, Adelaide Oval
Wednesday 02 November: India v Bangladesh, Adelaide Oval
Thursday 03 November: Pakistan v South Africa, SCG, Sydney
Sunday 06 November: South Africa v Netherlands, Adelaide Oval
Here’s the link to all upcoming fixtures details: https://cricknock.com/fixtures/icc-mens-t20-world-cup-2022-fixtures/
