New Zealand’s massive win over Sri Lanka has almost ended the ‘qudrat ka nizam’ for the men in green. The Pakistani team had a fair chance of playing in semifinals after their back to back wins against Bangladesh and New Zealand, given that the latter lose against Sri Lanka in their last league stage match. However, it did not happen.
At Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday, New Zealand decisively defeated Sri Lanka, putting an end to Pakistan’s chances of qualifying for the 2023 World Cup. The Kiwis’ semi-final matchup against India at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on November 15 is all but guaranteed with this victory.
The Babar Azam led team was about to be eliminated from the World Cup following defeats from Afghanistan and South Africa. But they returned to the picture after emerging victorious against Bangladesh and New Zealand back-to-back. All they needed was one more victory over England and New Zealand’s defeat against Sri Lanka. But that did not occur, as on Thursday, the black caps easily defeated the Lankan lions under Kusal Mendis, chasing down a 172-run target in less than 24 overs.
Pakistani fans erupted in joy and exclaimed that it was “Kudrat Ka Nizam” when Babar Azam’s team recorded their biggest victory of the season while chasing 400+ runs against New Zealand. Pakistan, however, is now trailing the Kiwis in both net run rate and points as a result of New Zealand’s dominance over Sri Lanka. Pakistan now faces an extremely difficult task: they must defeat England by 275 runs or reach the target in just 2.3 overs.
But now the question is, did Pakistan deserve a spot in semifinals? The answer is plainly, No. The 4 straight losses against India, Australia, South Africa and especially against Afghanistan already set their tone for the early exit. The team didn’t take care of their NRR from the very beginning, which backfired on them. The team has now impossible scenarios by which they can qualify for semifinals.
