Pakistan’s World Cup campaign hangs by a thread after a humiliating defeat against arch-rivals Afghanistan on Monday (Oct 23) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The Babar Azam-led team was played out of the park by a resolute Afghan side which did not put a foot wrong throughout the match.

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After the defeat, which was their third consecutive loss of the campaign, Pakistan now find themselves nestled in a mid-table jam with Australia and Afghanistan – hoping to secure a top 4 spot for the knockouts. All three teams have four points but Australia have a game in hand. 

While teams beneath viz. Bangladesh, Netherlands, Sri Lanka, England also have a realistic chance of leapfrogging Pakistan as they all have won one match and played a game less.

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Realistically, for most teams, knocking India and New Zealand off the top of the points table seems like a foregone conclusion. The men-in-green have four points in the kitty, which is six and four points less than what India and New Zealand have conjured, respectively. 

Meanwhile, South Africa occupy the third spot with six points and barring a tremendous dip in form, look highly unlikely to leave the position, which effectively means, seven teams are in contention to secure the last remaining spot. 

Pakistan has to go all out

With the permutations and combinations in mind, Pakistan need to win all their remaining four matches to stand a good chance of qualifying for the knockouts. Pakistan missed out on a place in the semifinals during the 2019 World Cup despite securing 11 points and having five wins. 

With rain expected to not have a major say going ahead in the tournament, Pakistan need six wins to qualify or hope that other results fall in their favour. Apart from the wins, Pakistan will have to recharge their Net Run Rate which is in the negative territory right now. The team lost out on the semifinals in the previous edition, solely due to a poor NRR. 

However, to go on a run of four consecutive wins would require a tremendous turnaround from the subcontinent team. They have a tough run of fixtures coming up with South Africa arriving in Chennai, followed by Bangladesh in Kolkata, New Zealand in Bengaluru and England in Kolkata yet again. A single slip-up and Pakistan will have to pack their bags and catch a return flight home.   

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