Can Pakistan reach T20 World Cup semifinals after India’s loss to South Africa on Sunday?

If any two of India, South Africa and Zimbabwe win two of their remaining three matches, then Pakistan will be eliminated.

Pakistan beat Netherlands but South Africa’s win over India on Sunday has severely hurt Pakistan’s semifinal chances. | Photo Credit: AFP

India’s five-wicket defeat against South Africa in a Super 12 game of the 2022 T20 World Cup has put Pakistan’s semifinal hopes in jeopardy.

Earlier, Pakistan's fate in 2022 T20 World Cup slipped out of its hands following a one-run defeat against Zimbabwe in Perth on Thursday. Pakistan can now now reach a maximum of six points.

If any two of India, South Africa and Zimbabwe win two of their remaining three matches, then Pakistan will be eliminated. If Pakistan does manage to win its remaining three matches and finishes on six points with only one team above that tally, then the Net Run Rate (NRR) could come into play. Pakistan is lagging way behind India and South Africa in that column at the moment.

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Therefore, while Pakistan's semifinal hopes are mathematically still alive, the road ahead is anything but smooth.

REMAINING GROUP 2 MATCHES

November 2 — Zimbabwe vs Netherlands; India vs Bangladesh

November 3 — Pakistan vs South Africa

November 6 — South Africa vs Netherlands; Pakistan vs Bangladesh; India vs Zimbabwe