Pakistan have a mountain to climb to qualify for the semi-finals of the ongoing ICC World Cup.
They are set to play their final group stage match against a resurgent England at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday and it will not be an easy task to overtake New Zealand in net run rate.
They have won just four matches out of eight and losses to Afghanistan and South Africa might come back to haunt them at the business end of the tournament.
Bet here on the World Cup and other cricket matches (selected regions)!
Amid their troubles on the pitch, there has been a fair bit of controversy away from it as well. Babar Azam's captaincy has come under the radar on multiple occasions and former players have repeatedly raised questions about the current batch's abilities and commitments.
Now, Misbah-ul-Haq has claimed that everyone in Pakistan cricket is passing the buck and are busy trying to "save their own skin."
What did Misbah-ul-Haq say?
"We have had problems with the longer formats of the game and we know them for a long time. We do not have good spinners. We need to develop our pacers as well. We have not noticed these problems and realistically we have to work on that, irrespective of us reaching the semifinals.
"We need to acknowledge that there is a problem but now, everyone who is associated with cricket is busy thinking about how to save their own skin. We need to sit and discuss seriously with the board and the coaches about the way forward. Everyone is thinking differently and they should collate those thoughts and chalk out a way forward," he stated.
MORE: 'Like Irfan Pathan, I will dance if Pakistan reaches the semis'- Mohammed Amir
What does Pakistan have to do against England to qualify for World Cup 2023 semifinal?
Ahead of the New Zealand vs Sri Lanka clash, Pakistan's fans and team would have been hoping for the Asian side to pull off a win, or for the match to end without a result, so that New Zealand would only be able to get zero or one point and finish on a maximum of nine points.
Had one of these scenarios unfolded, Pakistan would have been able to qualify by simply beating England on Saturday, thereby going to 10 points, although there would still be a (very slim) chance of Afghanistan beating South Africa and overtaking Pakistan's net run rate (NRR).
MORE: 'Today’s cricket is fraud' - Shoaib Akhtar laments two-ball rule in ODIs
However, they have been dealt the worst possible result from the New Zealand vs Sri Lanka match with the former winning, and comfortably at that.
Here's the situation Pakistan are now facing:
Case 1: If they bat first, Pakistan will need to win by around 287 runs against England in order to overtake New Zealand's net run rate — a margin of victory that is scarcely believable, even though the defending champions have struggled during this tournament and are already out.
For example, If Pakistan score 300 after batting first, they have to bowl out England for 12 runs or less. If Pakistan score 400 runs, they have to bowl out England for 112 runs or less.
Case 2: Their task is even more difficult if they bat second, though. Even if Pakistan could bowl England out for just 50, they would still need to chase that target in 2.3 overs in order to go ahead of the Kiwis.
Verdict: Therefore, for all intents and purposes Pakistan are out of the World Cup. If England bat first, Pakistan have no hope. Their only hope remaining is to bat first, attempt to score above 400 and then bowl England out cheaply. This is extremely unlikely to happen, but never say never!
Whether you think Pakistan will make the semifinal or not, you can predict the outcome for a chance to win prizes in the CWC 2023 Predictor game here (selected regions).
(The Sporting News, odds via Dafabet)
MORE: Rishabh Pant injury update: Star wicket-keeper begins his training
Who will win the 2023 World Cup?
India and Australia are among the favourites for the 2023 World Cup title. The odds are as follows, and you can click here to make your bet (selected regions).
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| India | 2.00 |
| Australia | 4.50 |
| South Africa | 5.50 |
| New Zealand | 10.00 |
| Pakistan | 21.00 |
| Afghanistan | 67.00 |
Think you know who will win the 2023 Cricket World Cup? Place your bets here with Dafabet!
You can also play Dafabet's CWC 2023 predictor game, and win the latest Apple gadget and big INR prizes, by clicking here!
