Pakistan need to bat first and beat Bangladesh by atleast 311 runs to qualify for the semis If Pakistan bowl first then they will be knocked out even before the first ball is bowled The equation became nearly impossible for Sarfaraz Ahmed’s side after England beat New Zealand on Wednesday The Pakistan team are currently placed at the fifth position in the World Cup with nine points.
They are the only team to be not in the top four and yet stand a mathematical chance of qualifying for the semifinals.
Pakistan needs to beat Bangladesh by a margin of over 300 runs to trump New Zealand, according to a report on the ICC website. Their semi-final chances reduced to just a mathematical possibility, former champions Pakistan will need an improbable win over Bangladesh to have a shot at making the semi-finals of the World Cup when the two sides clash here on Friday.Explaining it further, the story says –
“The equation is simple, really. Not easy, but simple. Pakistan need to bat first. They then need to score 400 and dismiss Bangladesh for 84. That’s a win margin of 316 runs – never been achieved in the history of one-day cricket, let alone at a tournament such as the World Cup. Those margins will change depending on the scores, but the crux is that Pakistan will have to do the improbable to trump New Zealand and make the semi-finals. If Bangladesh bat first, then Pakistan are out even before the game begins.”
Pakistan’s opponents, Bangladesh, have put up a spirited performance this World Cup. Shakib Al Hasan has done practically just about everything a cricketer can do on the field. Bangladesh have ridden the wave of Shakib’s all-round excellence to compete against the top teams in the competition.
Pakistan defeated South Africa and Afghanistan, pulled off a record chase against West Indies, displayed several instances of brilliance in a tall chase against Australia, and nearly made New Zealand loose.