News Desk
COLOMBO: New Zealand’s 61-run victory over Sri Lanka has put Pakistan’s T20 World Cup semi-final hopes on a knife-edge. To stay in contention, Pakistan must beat Sri Lanka by a huge margin and rely on England to defeat New Zealand.
With New Zealand lifting their Net Run Rate to +3.050 and England already through to the semi-finals, Pakistan faces a daunting challenge. Their Net Run Rate stands at -0.461, meaning they need a 70-run win over Sri Lanka in their final Super Eights match to keep hopes alive. Additionally, Pakistan must hope England beats New Zealand, with the margin of that win determining Pakistan’s fate.
If weather causes the England-New Zealand match to be abandoned, New Zealand will automatically advance to the semi-finals. ESPNcricinfo notes that even if England wins by just 20 runs, Pakistan would still require a 50-run victory over Sri Lanka to make it through.
The scenario leaves Pakistan fans on edge as their campaign hinges not only on a massive performance against Sri Lanka but also on outcomes in other high-stakes matches.
Focus Keyword: Pakistan T20 World Cup semi-finals
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