Why India's win over England is a boost for Pakistan’s hopes of qualifying for 2023 World Cup semi-finals

Pakistan's chances of qualifying for the 2023 World Cup semifinals have improved marginally because of India's win against England. The Indian team defeated the defending champions by 100 runs earlier today at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Stadium.

This result not only denied England two points but also damaged their net run rate to such an extent that even three big wins may not help them qualify for the semifinals. It is safe to say that only a miracle can take England to the semifinals now.

The same happened with Bangladesh yesterday as they lost to the Netherlands. Both Bangladesh and England only have two points in their accounts, having played six matches each. Even if they win their remaining matches, they will finish with a maximum of eight points. Meanwhile, Pakistan can still reach 10 points.

Had England won today's 2023 World Cup match against India, they could have finished with a maximum of 10 points in the standings. Hence, England's loss against India has boosted Pakistan's chances of qualifying for the semifinals.

How can Pakistan qualify for the 2023 World Cup semifinals?

Pakistan have three matches remaining in the league stage. They will take on Bangladesh on Tuesday, October 31, followed by a game against New Zealand on Saturday, November 4, and a clash against England on November 11. If Pakistan win these three 2023 World Cup games, they will have 10 points in their account.

The Babar Azam-led outfit will then have to hope that New Zealand lose at least one of their two matches against South Africa or Sri Lanka. In that case, New Zealand and Pakistan will have the same number of points, and the team with the better net run rate will advance.

The best-case scenario for Pakistan is that they win all three of their games, New Zealand lose to both Sri Lanka and South Africa and apart from India, Australia and South Africa, no other team finishes with 10 points.