Are Pakistan knocked out of 2023 World Cup after 1-wicket loss to South Africa?
Pakistan suffered their fourth consecutive defeat of the 2023 World Cup earlier today (October 27) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. South Africa defeated Pakistan by one wicket in a thrilling encounter to move up to the top of the points table.
While South Africa have attained the top spot in the standings, Pakistan have inched a step closer to early elimination from the 2023 World Cup. The Men in Green have only four points in their account after six matches in the tournament. They won their first two games but have been winless since then.
It seems unlikely that Pakistan will finish in the Top 4 of the 2023 World Cup points table, but there still exists a mathematical possibility of Babar Azam's men qualifying for the semifinals.
For that to happen, Pakistan will first have to win their remaining three matches against Bangladesh, New Zealand and England.
Pakistan will be reliant on other teams for semifinal qualification even if they win their remaining 3 matches in 2023 World Cup
Assuming Pakistan win their remaining three matches, the Men in Green will finish with 10 points in the league round, which may not be enough to take them into the next round. India and South Africa already have 10 points, while New Zealand have eight.
Pakistan will have to hope that India, South Africa and New Zealand end up as the Top 3 teams. They can then sneak into the semifinals as the fourth team if Australia lose at least two of their remaining four matches. Also, Pakistan will have to hope that Sri Lanka and Afghanistan will not win more than three matches each.
If Australia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan finish with 10 points each, the team with the best net run rate will advance to the semifinals. Another factor which could work in Pakistan's favor is if New Zealand lose their remaining four league-round matches, which is unlikely to happen.