Will Pakistan reach the semi-finals even after losing to Zimbabwe in a thrilling match?
Pakistani fans are deeply saddened by the defeat of Pakistan in the match against Zimbabwe in the T20 World Cup. The defeat has sparked a debate as to whether there is any chance for Pakistan to make a comeback in the tournament.
First a one-run loss against India in Melbourne and now a one-run victory for Zimbabwe in Perth. Due to these defeats, Pakistan’s record of not winning a single T20 International match in Australia remains intact.
The wounds inflicted by India were still fresh in the hearts of the fans and now another defeat has intensified the series of comments made on the performance of the Pakistani team and players.
Technically, Pakistan are not out of the tournament yet, but obviously it seems that now in Group Two, the chances of getting into the top two teams and reaching the semi-finals are slim.
Pakistan vs Zimbabwe: How did the matter reach the last over?
Zimbabwe won the toss and made an aggressive start by batting first but Rauf scored a breakthrough and put the Zimbabwe batsmen on the backfoot.
Mohammad Wasim took three wickets and thanks to Shadab’s smooth bowling and two wickets, Zimbabwe’s team could score only 130 runs in 20 overs for the loss of eight wickets.
Achieving the target of 131 runs in T20 is not very difficult. Especially in front of the batsmen like Babar Azam and Rizwan, this target was not just a challenge.
However, in this match too, Pakistan’s opening pair failed and all hopes were pinned on the middle order. The Zimbabwe bowlers kept the pressure on the Pakistani batsmen from the very beginning.
After Iftikhar’s wicket fell, Shan Masood and Shadab Khan supported the team by sharing 52 runs. However, after hitting a six off Sikandar Raza’s ball, Shadab was caught out on the next ball on the boundary.
After this Haider Ali was also dismissed LBW on the very first ball. With Haider’s recent performance, it seems that he carries his wicket in the palm.
After this, Mohammad Nawaz and Mohammad Wasim added 34 runs to the score board of Pakistan.
11 runs were needed in the last over, out of which eight runs were scored by Mohammad Wasim in the first three balls. However, Nawaz’s wicket fell after a dot ball and Shaheen was run out on the last ball trying to score another run.
This shameful defeat for Pakistan?
This defeat of Pakistan has disappointed the fans and the comments of the users about the team are still going on on social media.
Former fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar writes that even in the most humble way it would be called a shameful defeat. If Zimbabwe is in front then everything will happen automatically? No, it doesn’t happen by itself, it has to be done.
Shoaib Akhtar further says, “Average mindset, average results. This is the reality, face it.”
Analyst Rihanul Haq says that there is no word or analysis for this defeat, it is a heartbreaking defeat.
Saba Bano has advised captain Babar Azam to join hands with some of the best batsman at the moment and transfer his bad form to him. “Like Kohli, do it yourself.”
Arfa Feroz says Babar Azam’s performance has declined since Virat Kohli’s return to form. Cricket world has never seen a time when Babar Azam and Virat Kohli are playing great together.
Atif Nawaz says that T20 cricket is a format in which any team can lose on any given day. We have seen many amazing results in this World Cup.
Can Pakistan still reach the semi-finals?
In this T20 World Cup, 12 teams are divided into two groups.
New Zealand are at the top of Group One with three points, but the position after that is unclear as Sri Lanka, England, Ireland and Australia have two points each after playing two matches each.
And so the race for the first two positions in the group (ie the teams that can qualify for the semi-finals) is largely intact.
But the place for Pakistan in Group Two has reduced.
India are at the top of the group after winning both their matches, while South Africa and Zimbabwe are in second and third place with three points each.
The match between South Africa and Zimbabwe was canceled due to rain and both the teams got one point each. South Africa won the match against Bangladesh by a huge margin of 104 runs, so their run rate is better.
Bangladesh won the match against Netherlands so they are in fourth place with two points. But Pakistan has lost both the matches so far and thus is in fifth place.
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If Pakistan has to reach the semi-finals in this situation, it can be summed up in one sentence like this –
That is, Pakistan will need the help of a neighboring Asian team (India or Bangladesh).
But even getting six points may not be enough to qualify for the semi-finals, as there is a high chance that the group will see further ups and downs or the match will be affected due to rain.
Maybe again due to rain, teams get one point each in a match and maybe the points remain equal and the matter reaches the run rate.
Rihan writes that ‘It is very difficult to predict the Australian weather this year. The match between Pakistan and India was also likely to be canceled due to rain, but we watched the entire match. On other occasions it rained even though it was less predictable.
According to the ICC website, to reach the semi-finals, captain Babar Azam will have to win his remaining three matches. These include matches against Netherlands on Sunday, South Africa on Thursday and against Bangladesh next Sunday (November 6).
However, now the matter is not in the hands of Pakistan alone. If only two teams from India, Zimbabwe or South Africa win two of their remaining three matches, then they will have more than six points.
Even after winning all three matches, Pakistan can now get a maximum of six points.
According to ICC, net run rate can also be a factor. Therefore, a big margin win in at least one of the remaining three matches can give Pakistan an edge.
