How Pakistan, Afghanistan can qualify for World Cup semi-final

Following Pakistan and Australia winning their respective matches in the World Cup on Saturday, many started wondering whether the ‘Men in Green’ or Afghanistan can qualify for the semi-final of the tournament.

With India and South Africa already having qualified for the World Cup semifinals, two spots are open for all teams except Bangladesh.

How can Pakistan qualify for ICC World Cup semi-final?

Pakistan, which is currently in the fifth position in the points table after winning four out of eight matches, has eight points. The team has only one match remaining in the knockout stage of the ICC World Cup 2023.

There are two ways Pakistan can qualify for the semi-final. They are:

1. Win the match against England and maintain a higher Net Run Rate (NRR) than all other teams that can accumulate 10 points in the knockout stage.
2. If they lose to England, they would hope that New Zealand, Afghanistan, Lanka, and the Netherlands also lose by significant margins.

The occurrence of the second possibility is highly unlikely, and achieving the first possibility is also challenging as Pakistan’s NRR is currently poor in the tournament.

Though logically it is difficult for Pakistan to qualify for the semi-final of the ICC World Cup 2023, mathematically, the doors are open for the ‘Men in Green.’

How can Afghanistan qualify for ICC World Cup semi-final?

Afghanistan, which is currently in the sixth position in the points table after winning four out of seven matches, has eight points.

The chances of Afghanistan qualifying for the ICC World Cup semi-final is brighter than Pakistan’s.

There are two ways Afghanistan can qualify for the semi-final. They are:

1. Win their remaining matches against Australia and South Africa and secure their place in the semi-final.
2. If Afghanistan loses one or both of the matches, their only hope would be for New Zealand and Pakistan to lose their respective remaining matches by significant margins.

With India and South Africa already qualified for the World Cup semifinals, seven teams, including Pakistan and Afghanistan, are trying hard to qualify for the semi-final of the ICC World Cup. It remains to be seen who will make it to the tournament after the knockout stage.