World Cup: How Pakistan can still play India in semi-final and how much margin they need to beat England today

Fans are eagerly anticipating the possibility of an India-Pakistan showdown in the World Cup. However, the likelihood seems dim as Pakistan faces an almost insurmountable challenge. Babar Azam's men today take on England at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata in a day and night encounter in their final group match and face a near-impossible task against England to make the World Cup semi-finals.

New Zealand has virtually secured their place in the World Cup semifinals by trouncing Sri Lanka on Thursday with 160 balls to spare. The emphatic victory helped Kiwis further improved their net run rate 0.743. This win also elevated New Zealand to 10 points, almost confirming their spot in the semis alongside India, South Africa, and Australia.

In comparison, Babar Azam's Pakistan side have currently 8 points from 8 matches with net run rate of 0.036 with one game left. Afghanistan are out of the contention for the semis after their Friday's loss to South Africa. Following New Zealand's triumph, Pakistan needs nearly miraculous victory against England to stand a chance of making it to the top four.


The situation for Babar Azam's men looks daunting. In the Saturday match against England, they must win the match and also by a margin of at least 287 runs. When chasing, they have to dismiss England for 50 runs and chase the target in two overs. Currently, Pakistan are level with Afghanistan at eight points each from eight matches, but Pakistan holds the advantage due to a better net run rate.

Looking ahead, India is set to clash against the fourth-placed team, presumably New Zealand, on November 15 at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Meanwhile, the second semifinal on November 16 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata will likely feature South Africa against Australia.

Though England has had a forgettable performance in 2023 World Cup, they hold a massive advantage over Pakistan if one goes by recent ODI record. World Cup. England has won 14 of their previous 18 encounters against Pakistan since the 2015 World Cup,