There are just 11 games left in the World Cup 2023 league phase, and one side has advanced to the semifinals while another has been eliminated. One of those matches, a virtual quarterfinal between Pakistan and New Zealand, is scheduled to take place on Saturday morning at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. In the first two halves of the league stage so far, the two heavyweights have had rather different runs. Up until the halfway point, New Zealand was the clear favorite and was nearly guaranteed a semifinal position. However, in the second half, they faltered to three consecutive defeats and are now in danger of finishing outside the top four. However, Pakistan lost four straight games for the first time ever in a World Cup, almost eliminating them from contention until a victory against Bangladesh and a few other fortunate events propelled them back into the picture. The third aspect that will certainly impact the match is the weather in Bengaluru on Saturday when their paths collide in a game that might decide who lives or dies.
Why does Pakistan vs. New Zealand seem like a quarterfinal match?
Pakistan is once again competing for a semifinal berth. With three victories in seven games, they are now ranked sixth in the standings with a net run-rate of -0.024, whereas New Zealand, who have won more games than they have lost, are ranked fourth with a rather healthy NRR of 0.484. Pakistan would need to win by a significant margin in order to move up to the fourth slot in the standings; a win alone would not be sufficient. Babar Azam and his team must defeat the 2019 runner-up by 85 runs or more, or chase down the target with 15 overs remaining, in order to oust New Zealand. Pakistan must be cautious since Afghanistan now has two more points than them in the standings after beating the Netherlands, moving them up to fifth place.
Pakistan will still be in the running to get to the World Cup semifinals for the first time since 2011, even if their victory on Saturday does not ensure they will advance to the elimination stages. They still have to win their last league game against the struggling and reigning champions, England, and they may hope for a number of other outcomes to go their way in order to qualify.
Pakistan will be eliminated from the World Cup together with Sri Lanka, the Netherlands, and Bangladesh in the event of a loss.
Rain is expected to have an impact on the important game, however, as the Bengaluru weather prediction for Saturday doesn’t seem good at all.
What is the weather prediction for Saturday in Bengaluru?
Accuweather predicts that Saturday will be “mostly cloudy with a couple of showers and a thunderstorm in the afternoon.” Sixty-eight percent of the possibility is precipitation, and twenty-seven percent is thunderstorm activity. While the weather is unlikely to have an impact on Bengaluru during the first half of the match, there is a probability of a thunderstorm in the afternoon and early evening, according to the city’s hourly weather prediction. As a result, the toss will probably be quite important in the game.
What would happen if the World Cup match between Pakistan and New Zealand is canceled?
Pakistan and New Zealand would have to split the point total if the game is abandoned by match authorities due to the continuous rain in Bengaluru. ICC has not set aside a reserve day for World Cup 2023 league matches. There is just one reserve day allotted for the final and the knockout stages in the event that bad weather deters play.
Should Pakistan’s chances of making it to the semifinals in the New Zealand encounter be dashed?
Pakistan is in dire need of victory in order to survive in the semifinal match. However, Pakistan would have to make do with a single point if rain clouds cloud up the pivotal match in Bengaluru. That would still mean that their dismal World Cup campaign comes to an end with seven points from eight games.
Pakistan would stay in sixth position with seven points, while New Zealand would move up to third place with nine points. Afghanistan and third-place Australia must both lose all of their games in order for Pakistan to advance, but they face each other in Mumbai three days later.
