Group 2 is warming up after India defeated neighbours Bangladesh by 5 runs in a rain-washed match at Adelaide. Though most experts are speculating that the Rohit Sharma-led Team India will definitely qualify for the men's T20 World Cup semi-finals, a few experts are hopeful that Pakistan and Bangladesh can play spoiler to topple Team India’s dreams.
Let’s take a look at the possible scenarios where Pakistan could qualify for the semis and even face India in the finals promising another spectacular match. Babar Azam and his men still have two games to go before they finally say goodbye to the tournament.
Scenario 1
Pakistan should first win Thursday’s match against South Africa and also win against Bangladesh on November 6.
Pakistan are 68-4 at the halfway stage as Nawaz and Iftikhar rebuild the innings 🏏#WeHaveWeWill | #T20WorldCup | #PAKvSA pic.twitter.com/eM40fd9cCC
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) November 3, 2022On the other hand, South Africa should lose their match against the Netherlands. With this, Pakistan will qualify for the semis even if the Netherlands vs South Africa game is stuck due to rain.
Scenario 2
India loses its match against Zimbabwe by a big margin. This would push down their net run rate below that of Pakistan's. Pakistan will qualify with a better run rate.
The scenario will also favour them if rain interferes and the South Africa and the Netherlands match is abandoned.
India’s chances
India technically hasn’t qualified yet for the semi-finals and all eyes are on its match against Zimbabwe at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on November 6. India with 6 points is at top of the table from four matches.
South Africa has 5 points after winning three matches and losing one. Bangladesh has 3 points and fifth-placed Pakistan by four points. If South Africa beat Pakistan and then Pakistan beat Bangladesh, then nobody can replace India in the top two.
The final four
The fate of Group 2 will highly depend on Thursday's match between Pakistan and South Africa. If South Africa wins this game, they will directly go to the semifinals. If they don’t, Pakistan’s chances would depend on India’s match with Zimbabwe.