World Cup 2023: Pakistan qualification scenario for semi-final berth after Afghanistan’s win over Netherlands

Afghanistan is having an incredible run in the ongoing World Cup 2023 as they secured their third consecutive win after beating Netherlands by 7 wickets. After this win, Afghanistan has jumped into fifth place in World Cup 2023 points table, equalling New Zealand and Australia with eight points now. It has also pushed them forward towards converting their semi-final dream into reality.

However, Afghanistan’s win has definitely put Pakistan in a difficult spot now. After experiencing a series of defeats in the tournament, Pakistan finally clinched a dominating win over Bangladesh on 31 October. This win also sparked hope for Pakistan to qualify for the semi-final berth.

But, after considering Afghanistan’s win over Netherlands today, they have left Pakistan with these possible scenarios. Pakistan have six points from the seven games played with a net run rate of -0.024. Their upcoming clashes are against New Zealand and England, which means winning those matches is extremely crucial for the Men in Green. However, their chances still rely a lot on Afghanistan’s performance.

For Pakistan to possibly secure a place in the semi-final, Afghanistan would need to lose their remaining games against Australia and South Africa. If Afghanistan manages to emerge victorious in their upcoming games, then Pakistan would have no chance left and will be out of the tournament regardless of the results in the final two games.

This doesn’t end here as Pakistan would also need New Zealand to experience defeat in the final game against Sri Lanka if the Men in Green managed to beat the Kiwis tomorrow at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.