Following their defeat to England in the Super 8 stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, a crucial question has emerged: can Pakistan still progress to the semi-finals?
The straightforward answer is that qualification has now become extremely difficult, though not entirely impossible.
For Pakistan to keep their hopes alive, they must first defeat Sri Lanka national cricket team in their final Super 8 fixture. However, that alone will not be sufficient — they will also be dependent on other results going in their favour.
One favourable scenario would see England cricket team defeat New Zealand national cricket team in their remaining match, while Sri Lanka also overcome New Zealand.
In that case, Pakistan would finish with three points and qualify for the semi-finals. New Zealand would end on zero points, while Sri Lanka would have two.
However, if England beat New Zealand but New Zealand then defeat Sri Lanka, both Pakistan and New Zealand would finish on three points. In such circumstances, qualification would be decided on net run rate.
In short, Pakistan’s path to the semi-finals remains mathematically possible, but it now hinges not only on their own performance, but also on other results falling into place.
