Sunday was a big day for Pakistan. Three matches from the Group 2 draw were said to define their chances for the semi-final round of the FIFA T20 World Cup 2022. Losses to India and then Zimbabwe left Pakistan with much of a chance to outperform the other opponents in the group. For most of Sunday, Pakistan fans were delighted. Bangladesh claimed a thriller against Zimbabwe after some late drama, while the Babar Azam-led side finally opened their account in the tournament with a win against the Netherlands.
However, the one that should have largely decided the chances for the knockout round failed as India conceded their top spot after suffering their first defeat of the tournament, to South Africa, by 5 wickets in Perth. So where are Pakistan’s semi-final chances now after defeating India? In Group 2, India were in the driver’s seat, just one win away from securing a semi-final berth. However, South Africa stunned the Men in Blue as they took top spot in the table with victory in Perth and are now clear favorites to finish the group as top seed.
Next on the table are India and Bangladesh, separated only by net run rate. An NRR of +0.844 gives India the edge but also makes the upcoming match between India and Bangladesh on Wednesday all the more important.
After losing to India, can Pakistan make it to the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup?
Needless to say, they need to win their last two matches – against South Africa on November 3 and Bangladesh on November 6 – which will see them finish with a maximum of six points. With the match against India not going their way, six points will not be enough for Pakistan. Their hopes now depended more and more on other factors. Their win against the Proteas will keep them out of top spot in the table and they also need to win their last two games by wide margins to stand a chance in terms of NRR if it comes to a battle between the six-point teams.
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