The one that was to largely decide chances for the knockout round, failed to go their way as India conceded their top spot after suffering their first defeat in the tournament, to South Africa, by 5 wickets in Perth. So where does Pakistan’s semi-final chances now stand after India’s defeat?
Sunday was a big day for Pakistan. Three matches from the Group 2 fixtures were said to define their chances for the semi-final round in the 2022 T20 World Cup. Losses to India and then to Zimbabwe have left much of Pakistan’s chances on how other opponents in the group perform. For majority of Sunday, Pakistan fans were delighted. Bangladesh claimed the thriller against Zimbabwe following a final-over drama while the Babar Azam-led side finally opened their account in the tournament with a win against Netherlands. However, the one that was to largely decide chances for the knockout round, failed to go their way as India conceded their top spot after suffering their first defeat in the tournament, to South Africa, by 5 wickets in Perth. So where does Pakistan’s semi-final chances now stand after India’s defeat?
In Group 2, India were in the driver’s seat and stood only a win away from assuring themselves a semi-final spot. However, South Africa stunned the Men in Blue as they grabbed the top spot in the table with the win in Perth and now stand clear favourites to finish the group as toppers. India and Bangladesh stand next on the table, respectively, separated only by their net run rate. The NRR of +0.844 does give India the edge but also makes the impending Wednesday match between India and Bangladesh all the more crucial.
Needless to say, they do need to win their last two matches – against South Africa on 3 November and Bangladesh on 6 November – which will allow them to finish with a maximum of six points. However, with India game not going their way, six points won’t be enough for Pakistan. Their hopes have now increasingly been dependent other factors.
Their win against Proteas won’t allow them to take the top spot in the table and they also need to win their last two matches by big margins to stand a chance in terms of NRR if it comes down to battle between teams with six points.
