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How Pakistan can still reach World Cup semi-finals; scenarios explained

In their next 2 fixtures, the Babar Azam-led team faces New Zealand on Saturday and England on November 12

Published: Wed 1 Nov 2023, 1:04 PM

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Pakistan's Shaheen Afridi, right, celebrates the wicket of Bangladesh's Najmul Hossain Shanto with teammates during the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup match between Bangladesh and Pakistan in Kolkata, India, Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2023. Photo: AP

Pakistan's Shaheen Afridi, right, celebrates the wicket of Bangladesh's Najmul Hossain Shanto with teammates during the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup match between Bangladesh and Pakistan in Kolkata, India, Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2023. Photo: AP

Pakistan cricket team ended their miserable four-match losing streak with a resounding win against Bangladesh at the World Cup on Tuesday. It was a must-win fixture for the Babar-led squad to stay alive in the hunt for a semi-final berth. With six points from seven games, Pakistan currently occupy the fifth spot in the standings, two points behind Australia and New Zealand.

However, the seven-wicket win against Bangladesh still does not guarantee Pakistan a ticket to the knockout stage. Pakistan will have to win the remaining two league matches against New Zealand and England to keep their chances of reaching the semi-finals alive.


Merely winning the two fixtures will not do the job, either. The Asian giants will have to depend on multiple other outcomes to reach the knockouts.

Pakistan will need second-placed South Africa, third-placed New Zealand and fourth-placed Australia to concede defeats in their remaining three league matches. It would be an ideal scenario for Pakistan if any of those three sides do not cross or fall short of the 10-point mark at the end of the league stage.

In such a situation, Pakistan can hope to reach the semi-finals, provided they win their remaining two league stage fixtures by convincing margins.

In their next World Cup game, Pakistan will face New Zealand on Saturday and their final league stage game is against defending champions England on November 12.

A superb all-round show guided Pakistan to a convincing win in their last match against Bangladesh. Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Wasim claimed three wickets each to bowl out Bangladesh for 204.

Pakistan openers Abdullah Shafique and Fakhar Zaman set up a solid foundation for their side. While Shafique went back to the dressing room after a fine knock of 68, Zaman carried forward his onslaught. He played a blistering knock of 81 off 74 deliveries to gain the upper hand for Pakistan in the run chase.

Mohammad Rizwan’s late cameo of 26 off 21 balls was enough for a victory. The side scored the winning runs quite comfortably, with 105 balls to spare.

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