On Tuesday, while Babar Azam went golfing in Kolkata, the other players of Pakistan’s national team made use of their day off by engaging in some workout sessions such as gym and swimming at their hotel. Due to the strict security protocol while in India, the squad is unable to go to outings and will be continuing their practice the next day. The win against New Zealand was achieved by 21 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method, which was affected by rain. ward rain-affected victory, there was an interruption in the match while Pakistan were batting.
While the Green Shirts were at 200-1 in 25.3 overs, with Fakhar Zaman (126*) and captain Babar Azam (66*) still on the crease, the game was put on halt due to bad weather. As a result of Fakhar’s dynamic batting, Pakistan were ahead by 21 runs compared to the DLS score. With this, they set their sights on playing England at Eden Gardens on November 11 to try and qualify for the semi-finals of the World Cup.
If Afghanistan win both their games, they would qualify for the semifinals with 12 points and a considerably better NRR of +0.700 as compared to Pakistan’s +0.036. In this situation, the fate of the Men in Green at the 2019 World Cup will depend on Afghanistan’s performance in their two remaining matches. If they win both, Pakistan’s chances of making to the knockout stages will diminish greatly due to the significant difference in their NRR.
On the other hand, should Afghanistan secure just one more victory, and Pakistan go on to beat England, both teams will once again be tied on points, but Afghanistan would have a more favorable NRR, which would grant them a place in the last four.
