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How Pakistan can still qualify for World Cup semi-finals after hat-trick of losses: All scenarios explained
Having lost three on the trot, Pakistan have their World Cup campaign in disarray and hopes of a semifinal qualification hanging by a thread.
Start poor, have your back against the wall, then begin to roar. The path of Imran Khan's 'Cornered Tigers' has long been Pakistan's favoured strategy in ICC events. Babar Azam's men have now reached that juncture in World Cup 2023. Having lost three on the trot, which includes a shocker against Afghanistan, Pakistan have their campaign in disarray with hopes of a semifinal qualification hanging by a thread. And while the time couldn't have been more perfect for Pakistan to emulate a 1992-esque comeback, the question remains whether Babar and Co. can pull off a miraculous turnaround starting Friday in the match against South Africa.
Where do Pakistan stand in the points table?
The former ODI world champions began their campaign on an impressive note with wins against Netherlands and Sri Lanka before being handed a reality check with a loss against India in another lop-sided World Cup encounter. Pakistan then lost against Australia before incurring a shock and first-ever ODI defeat to Afghanistan.
ALSO READ: 'There is no reason why Pakistan can't win World Cup': Mickey Arthur sets bombastic target for Babar Azam and Co
The hat-trick of losses left Pakistan in the sixth spot in the points table, below Sri Lanka, who gave themselves fresh hope of reviving their World Cup campaign with a win against defending champions England on Thursday.
What is Pakistan's remaining schedule in World Cup 2023?
Pakistan will play against a red-hot South Africa, who stand second in the points table after incurring just a solitary loss in five games, on Friday in Chennai, before taking on Bangladesh in Kolkata on October 31. Pakistan then have two more difficult matches left in the league stage - against 2019 runner-up New Zealand on November 4 and England on November 11.
How can Pakistan still qualify for World Cup 2023 semi-finals?
Pakistan still have four matches left in the league stage to script a turnaround, but even if the Babar-led side snap their three-match losing streak to win all their remaining games, a maximum of 12 points will not be enough for the team to make it through to the semi-final. Pakistan will depend on how the league stage unfolds for the remaining nine teams.
The side will also be wary of their net run rate which tends to play a crucial role in the final stages of the league phase. Pakistan's NRR of -0.400 is what keeps them below Sri Lanka (-0.205) and above Afghanistan (-0.969) despite all three having secured two wins in five matches so far.
As things stand now, Pakistan's biggest competitors for a semi-final spot are Australia and Sri Lanka. They have lost against Australia and won against Sri Lanka. Australia have two more points than Pakistan and are looking ahead after a hat-trick of wins. Babar's team would be hoping that the Aussies falter in at least one of their remaining four matches for the net run rate to come into play.
Despite the criticism of Pakistan's World Cup campaign so far, Mickey Arthur, the team director, is hopeful that the team's fate will take another big turn starting Friday.
“We said in the change room the other night that we have got six matches to win the World Cup,” Arthur told PCB Digital. “We have to get on a streak and win six in a row. We know that as a unit, we know that as a team, we have to make sure we get our strategy 100%. We have to make sure that we get our execution 100% and if we do that, there is no reason why we cannot [win the World Cup].”
