New Delhi. Pakistan kept their hopes of reaching the World Cup 2023 semi-finals alive with a win against New Zealand. On the back of Fakhar Zaman’s explosive century, Pakistan used the Duckworth-Lewis rule to win by 21 runs against the Kiwi team. In this match, New Zealand made a huge score of 401 runs batting first. In reply, by the time play was stopped due to rain, Pakistan had scored 200 runs in 25.3 overs. After this no further drama could take place. Pakistan and New Zealand both teams have 8 points each in 8 matches. But due to net run rate, New Zealand is fourth in the table and Pakistan is fifth. That means the Kiwi team is still in a strong position. On the other hand, Afghanistan have 8 points from just 7 matches and are sixth in the table. In such a scenario, a win could spoil the Pakistan-New Zealand game. India and South Africa have qualified for the semi-finals. 2 other teams are yet to be decided.
The math of Babar Azam and Pakistan reaching the semi-finals will depend on the two teams. First, the team wants New Zealand to lose the match against Sri Lanka on November 9. Secondly, Afghanistan also lost both the remaining matches. Pakistan will play their last match against England on November 11. The English team has already been eliminated from the tournament. But New Zealand’s 7-0 record may have added to Pakistan’s worries.
Won the last seven matches
Talking about the ODI record, the Kiwi team has won the last seven matches played between New Zealand and Sri Lanka. That means he is leading 7-0. Talking about the last two World Cup matches, New Zealand has won here as well. New Zealand beat Sri Lanka by 98 runs in 2015 and by 10 wickets in 2019. However, the New Zealand team has lost 4 matches in a row in World Cup 2023 after 4 consecutive wins. In such a situation it will not be easy for him to return.
3 champion teams have been defeated
Afghanistan have put up their best performance in the tournament so far in World Cup history. The Afghan team has defeated 3 former champions England, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. In such a situation, one more upset could take him to the semi-finals. The team will face Australia in Wankhede on November 7 and South Africa in Ahmedabad on November 10.
New Zealand and India are playing with the same strategy, one mistake can be costly, one mistake increased Rohit Sharma’s tension.
Australia’s path to the semi-finals is also looking easy. After losing the first 2 matches, the kangaroo team has won 5 matches in a row. He has 10 points in 7 games. Apart from Afghanistan, Australia will face Bangladesh in their last match on November 11. In the 37th match of the tournament, India and South Africa are going to clash today. Team India has been unbeaten in the tournament so far. 9 other teams have at least one loss. If he manages to win today’s match under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma, then he will be number-1 for sure.
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Tags: Afghanistan, Babar Azam, New Zealand, World Cup 2023
First published: November 5, 2023, 07:21 IST