World Cup 2023: What are Pakistan’s chances of reaching semi-finals even after three successive defeats? Explained

After facing a crushing defeat by 8 wickets against Afghanistan in the ongoing ICC ODI World Cup 2023, Pakistan’s chances of qualifying for the semi-finals of the ODI World Cup 2023 have become more difficult. Pakistan started the tournament with a win. Under the captaincy of Babar Azam, Pakistan defeated the Netherlands and then Sri Lanka at the beginning of the tournament. However, after this their losing streak started and the team had to face defeat in three consecutive matches. 

India defeated Pakistan by 7 wickets, Australia by 62 runs, and Afghanistan by 8 wickets. Pakistan is currently in fifth position in the points table. However, the 1992 champions can still reach the semi-finals. The good thing for Pakistan is that the net run rate of the team is not very low yet.

Pakistan still has four matches left in the tournament. Pakistan has to face South Africa in the next match. After this, the team has to play its matches against Bangladesh, New Zealand, and England. The difficulty for Pakistan is that New Zealand and South Africa are in a strong position and they have performed well in the tournament so far.

How can Pakistan reach the semi-finals? 

If Pakistan wins all its next matches then its total points will become 12. Even with 6 wins, Pakistan will have to depend on the results of other teams. Pakistan will have to hope that Australia loses its next one or two matches. Because if the five-time champion is successful in winning all its matches, then it will have more points than Pakistan.

If Pakistan and Australia win all their matches, then in such a situation New Zealand will have to face three defeats, because Pakistan and Australia have to play one match each against New Zealand. However, it is a little less likely, that if Pakistan and Australia win their remaining matches by big margins, then they can defeat New Zealand and take the third and fourth positions.

If Pakistan gets 10 points then the situation will be like this

If Pakistan has to face defeat in even one of its matches, then the situation will become very difficult for them, but the team will still remain in the race. In such a situation, Pakistan will remain away from the top three, but its eyes will be in fourth place.

If Pakistan wins 5 matches then it will have to hope that Australia loses at least two more matches. If this happens then the matter will come down to net run rate. If Australia loses three out of its four matches, they will be out and Pakistan will qualify.

Pakistan won two out of four matches

If Pakistan wins only two out of its remaining four matches, then it will have to consider itself out. However, depending on the performance of other teams in the tournament, it will definitely have a chance.