Pakistan registered a 33-run win over South Africa in a rain-curtailed T20 World Cup match at Sydney on Thursday.
With this win, Babar Azam’s side kept their semifinal hopes alive despite being virtually out of the competition last week.
Pakistan (4 points) moved up to the third spot in Group 2 while South Africa (5 points) continued to stay second behind leaders India (6 points).
The 33-run win has boosted Pakistan’s Net Run Rate to +1.117 which is better than India’s +0.730. SA though have a much better run-rate (+1.441) compared to the other teams.
With one round of matches left in Group 2, Pakistan still have an outside chance of making it to the semis albeit at India’s expense.
Must-win games
India will face Zimbabwe while Pakistan take on Bangladesh and SA play the Netherlands on Sunday. It’s a must-win for all teams as any slip-ups might come as a blow to the top-3 teams.
India will have to come all guns blazing against Zimbabwe. If Men in Blue lose and Pakistan and SA win, India will be on 6 points along with Pakistan and Babar Azam’s side will qualify on a better net run rate.
Though among all the encounters, Pakistan have the most difficult task of beating Bangladesh, who too hope for a miracle in their quest to reach the knockouts.
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