With four consecutive losses in the ICC Cricket World Cup, Pakistan’s campaign will depend on the results of other teams, and matches, particularly those involving Australia. The team led by Babar Azam hopes for Afghanistan or Bangladesh to pull off upsets against the Australians.
Out of their six games played so far, Pakistan has managed to secure victory in just two, accumulating four points on the tournament table. Their upcoming matches will see them face Bangladesh, New Zealand, and England.
To keep their World Cup hopes alive, Pakistan not only needs to secure victories in their three remaining matches but do so convincingly. Additionally, they must rely on favorable outcomes in other games.
The most straightforward path for Pakistan at this point would involve Australia losing three out of their four remaining matches, although this is unlikely given that two of those matches are against relatively weaker opponents like Afghanistan and Bangladesh. Therefore, Pakistan would hope for unexpected upsets elsewhere in the tournament.
They also need New Zealand to win three of their remaining matches, with one of those wins coming against Pakistan.
In the event that Australia avoids upsets against Bangladesh or Afghanistan but loses to New Zealand, the Net Run Rate (NRR) could become a deciding factor in Pakistan’s favor.
For Pakistan to qualify, the following results can be helpful
- 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 the outcomes align with the desired scenarios outlined above, India would conclude with 18 points, New Zealand with 14, and South Africa with 12, while Pakistan would secure 10 points, placing them ahead of Australia and Sri Lanka, both of which would have 8 points each. However, if Australia secures a win against Bangladesh in match 43, which is highly probable, then both Pakistan and Australia would find themselves tied at 10 points each.
The precise situation and potential scenarios for Pakistan will become clearer by the middle of the upcoming week, with evolving possibilities contingent on the results of forthcoming matches.
