World Cup 2023: What will Pakistan have to do to reach the semi-finals against India?

PC: dnaindia

New Zealand dealt a big blow to the hopes of Pakistan and Afghanistan, who are trying to reach the semi-finals of the 2023 World Cup. The Kiwis pulled off a spectacular win over Sri Lanka in their final league game in Bengaluru on Thursday, November 9. Chasing a target of 172, New Zealand won by five wickets in just 23.2 overs at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, taking their net run rate to +0.743.

With the win, New Zealand now have 10 points from nine matches, two more than both Afghanistan and Pakistan, who still have a game in hand. The win marked New Zealand's eighth consecutive win over Sri Lanka, sealing their place in the semi-finals for the fourth consecutive time in the ODI World Cup.

India, Australia and South Africa have already confirmed their places in the World Cup semi-finals.

Despite this setback, Pakistan still has a mathematical chance of overtaking New Zealand in the points table and making it to the semi-finals. However, the prospects for Afghanistan look bleak.

If Pakistan bats first and scores 300 runs, then it will have to restrict England to 13 runs. If they score more than 300 runs then they should aim to maintain the margin of 287 runs.

However, if Pakistan bowls first, their chances look quite grim. Even if they manage to bowl out England for 100, they will have to chase the target in just 2.5 overs, which means winning with 283 balls to spare.