After Australia joined India and South Africa to secure a semi-final spot after Glenn Maxwell's fiery knock of 201 against Afghanistan on Tuesday, the focus has now shifted to the final group-stage matches of Pakistan and New Zealand. Both teams, with equal points, are vying for the semi-final spot in the World Cup 2023.
While both teams have equal points, the Kiwis are ahead of Babar Azam's team in terms of net run rate. After eight matches, Pakistan have 8 points with +0.036 and Kane Williamson's side has 8 points with +0.398.
The Black Caps have one match against Sri Lanka on Thursday at Bengaluru's M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The Men in Green will face England in their last encounter on Saturday at Kolkata's Eden Gardens. Pakistan can still reach the semi-final but for that, they have to first win their clash against England and pray that Sri Lanka beat New Zealand.
However, if New Zealand also win against the Lions, then Pakistan will have to beat Sri Lanka by 130 runs plus the margin by which the Kiwis defeat Sri Lanka to enter the semi-final. But if both New Zealand and Pakistan lose their games, the Kiwis would be ahead in terms of run rate and would qualify for the semi-final.
The Black Caps, however, may face a weather scare in Bengaluru on Thursday. The city is predicted to receive a few spells of rain. In its latest update, the central weather forecasting agency today said that Bengaluru will have a generally cloudy sky. "Rain/thundershowers very likely. Mist is very likely during early morning hours in some areas." The washout of the match will cost New Zealand as points will be divided. In this case, if Pakistan win their clash against England, they will be through to semi-final.
Afghanistan is the third strong contender for the coveted spot. The Afghans can reach the semi-final only if both Kane Williamson and Babar Azam's side lose their respective games. Hashmatullah Shahidi's team will now face dominant South Africa on Friday (November 10) at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium.
On Tuesday, Afghanistan were on the verge of defeating Australia but Glenn Maxwell's magical inning of 201 runs snatched the victory from the Afghans. If they had won that encounter, they would have entered the semi-final with an improved run rate.
The doors for the semi-final are open for all three - Pakistan, New Zealand, and Afghanistan. If all three lose their next matches, New Zealand will qualify based on run rate. If the Kiwis lose and Pakistan win, then Babar Azam's team will be in as its points will be more than that of Kiwis and its run rate is better than that of Afghanistan.