As the competition approaches its pivotal stage, an India versus Pakistan matchup at the 2023 ICC World Cup is edging closer. Having risen to the top of the points table, India and South Africa have already guaranteed their places in the semi-finals. In contrast, Australia still hasn’t secured a spot in the semi-finals, but they have two chances to do it when they play Bangladesh and Afghanistan in the next days. Australia will finish in the top three during the league stage if they win both games.
Three teams—New Zealand, Pakistan, and Afghanistan—are vying for the fourth and last semi-final position, and the competition is fierce. Though mathematically still in the running, Sri Lanka and the Netherlands have extremely unlikely odds.
In the semi-finals, the fourth-placed team will play India, creating the exciting prospect of an India vs Pakistan match in this high-stakes competition.
If Pakistan wins against England and New Zealand loses to Sri Lanka, Pakistan might climb up to ten points and overtake New Zealand’s eight points. Pakistan would also need Australia and South Africa to win over Afghanistan in order to further strengthen their position and keep them from scoring ten points. This situation heightens the rivalry for the fourth and final position and raises the possibility of an India vs. Pakistan match.
Situation 2
The contest for the fourth semi-final position will be decided by the net run rate between Pakistan and New Zealand in the event that Pakistan defeats England and New Zealand wins its match against Sri Lanka and both of Afghanistan’s matches result in losses. Pakistan needs to figure out the winning margin against England in order to surpass New Zealand’s net run rate. Afghanistan would, however, receive ten points if they were to win both of their final two games. Despite this, they are now in third place in the race for fourth place based on net run rate, with a negative run rate of -0.330.
Situation 3
Both sides will have ten points if rain cancels out New Zealand’s last game against Sri Lanka and Pakistan wins over England. Afghanistan will also receive ten points if they record a single victory. In that case, the semi-final qualifiers will be determined by the net run rate (NRR). On the other hand, if rain cancels Pakistan’s and New Zealand’s remaining games, New Zealand would go to the semi-finals because of their higher NRR.
India
