England’s win almost ends semi-final contention of Pakistan
New Delhi: The probability of Pakistan entering the semi-final of ongoing World Cup significantly dropped after England beat New Zealand last night. The hosts beat New Zealand by a massive 119 runs at the Riverside Ground, Durham.
The equation for Pakistan to qualify for the semi-final was as easy as this: New Zealand had to beat England on Wednesday and Pakistan had to beat Bangladesh in their upcoming game on Friday. Both by huge margins.
However, the England-New Zealand match did not turn in Pakistan’s favour. This means that they are almost out of the World Cup semi-final contention.
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Now let’s talk about how Pakistan can qualify for the semi-final. They need to bat first against Bangladesh, score at least 308. And then dismiss Mashrafe Mortaza’s side for 0. Yes, a ZERO. Very irrational you say. Then read on how the statistics get irrational further.
So if Pakistan pile up 350, they need to beat Bangladesh by 312 runs in order to qualify at the expense of New Zealand. And if Pakistan score 400 runs while batting first then they must dismiss Bangladesh for 84 and win by 316 runs.
However, Pakistan will be knocked out immediately if Bangladesh bat first on Friday. If they bat second, they are straight-up out of the World Cup even before the play begins. Sarfraz Ahmed now needs to win the toss and then the match with a very huge margin.
In all other rational scenarios, New Zealand will qualify in the fourth position. So, the semis will likely be between Australia-New Zealand and India-England.
Also Read: Will India Meet Pakistan In Semi-Final?