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What Will Be The Decision Of The Fourth Team Of World Cup 2023 Semi-Finals Today? Pakistan's Dream May Be Broken
World Cup 2023 Semi-Final Scenario: The 9th and last phase of the World Cup 2023 is going to start today i.e. from 9th November with the New Zealand vs Sri Lanka match. India along with South Africa and Australia have reached the semi-finals and everyone's eyes will be on today's match for the fourth team. In fact, if New Zealand manages to register a win over Sri Lanka today, then to a great extent the picture of the last team to reach the semi-finals will be clear, while their victory can also shatter the dreams of Pakistan and Afghanistan. However, if New Zealand loses its 5th consecutive match here, then the chances of both these teams reaching the semi-finals will increase significantly. There is also a shadow of rain on the New Zealand vs Sri Lanka match, if this match is a draw then it will not be good from New Zealand's point of view. Let us understand which team is leading in the race for the semi-finals-
New Zealand has a 45 percent chance of reaching the semi-finals
The Kane Williamson-led Kiwi team, which has suffered four defeats, still has more chances of reaching the semi-finals than Pakistan (40) and Afghanistan (14). However, rain can once again become a villain for them. New Zealand had to lose the match against Pakistan due to rain at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. If it rains against Sri Lanka today, then New Zealand's problems may increase. If the New Zealand vs Sri Lanka match gets washed out due to rain, then 1-1 point will be divided between the two teams. Actually, there is no reserve day for league-stage matches. In such a situation, New Zealand will again have to pray for the defeat of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
On the other hand, if New Zealand loses, they will still have to pray for the defeat of Pakistan and Afghanistan and also keep an eye on the net run rate. New Zealand's net run rate is currently +0.398, Pakistan's +0.036, and Afghanistan's -0.338.
Will Pakistan's heart break today?
Till now the law of nature has been in favor of Babar Azam's team. The Pakistani team has so far got whatever results it needed to remain in the race for the semi-finals. However, today is going to be a very important day for them. If New Zealand manages to register a win over Sri Lanka today, then Pakistan's problems will increase considerably. For Pakistan, New Zealand's victory would mean that they would have to defeat the English team in their last league stage match by at least 130 runs, the same margin by which New Zealand won. This will be a very difficult task.
How will Afghanistan qualify?
Afghanistan, under the leadership of Hashmatullah Shahidi, has performed well in the World Cup 2023 and deserves to play in the semi-finals. However, his net run rate does not support him. Afghanistan's last league match is against South Africa. Had they won against Australia, the equation would have been different, but now if they want to beat Pakistan in terms of net run rate, they will have to win the last league match by 133 runs or 25 overs. Both these tasks are difficult against the South African team.
On the other hand, if New Zealand and Pakistan lose their respective last league matches, then Afghanistan will only have to defeat South Africa to reach the semi-finals.