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It is the final stage of the World Cup 2023 league phase, with one team through to the semifinal, one out of contention and just 11 more matches to go. One of those games will be played at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday morning with the contest between Pakistan and New Zealand deemed as a virtual quarterfinal. Both the heavyweights have had a contrasting run in the two halves of the league stage so far. New Zealand ruled the charts until the midway stage, with semifinal spot almost a certainty before they stuttered to three straight losses in the second half to stand on the verge of dropping out of the top four. Pakistan, on the other hand, lost four consecutive matches, for the first time ever in a World Cup edition to almost fall out of reckoning for a place in the semis before a win against Bangladesh and few other factors falling their way, saw them bounce back into contention. As their path cross on Saturday in a do-or-die clash, the match is likely to be affected by a third factor, the Bengaluru rain.
Why is New Zealand vs Pakistan a virtual quarterfinal?
Pakistan are back in the race for a semifinal spot. They currently stand sixth in the table with a net run-rate of -0.024 after three wins in seven matches while New Zealand, with a victory more in as many games, are placed fourth with a rather healthy NRR of 0.484. A win alone would not be enough to send Pakistan to the fourth spot, the margin of victory will play a crucial factor in the clash. For New Zealand to be displaced, Babar Azam and his men need to beat the 2019 runner-up by 85 runs or more or chase down the target with 15 overs to spare. Pakistan need to wary of the fact that Afghanistan stand fifth in the table following their win against Netherlands that took their points tally to eight, two more than them.
If Pakistan win on Saturday, they will remain alive in the race to make the semifinals of the World Cup for the first time since 2011, although the win will not guarantee them a spot in the knockouts. They still need to beat defending champions and beleaguered England in their final league game whole expect a host of other results to go their way in a bid to qualify.
If Pakistan lose, they, along with Sri Lanka, Netherlands and Bangladesh will be knocked out of the World Cup.
However, the crucial match is likely to be affected by rain as the Bengaluru weather forecast for Saturday doesn’t look promising at all.
What is Bengaluru’s weather forecast for Saturday?
According to Accuweather, Saturday is predicted to be “mostly cloudy with a couple of showers and a thunderstorm in the afternoon.” The probability of precipitation is 68 per cent while there is a 27 per cent chance of thunderstorm. The hourly forecasted weather for Bengaluru further reveals that while the opening half of the game is unlikely to be affected by the weather, there are chances of a thunderstorm in the afternoon and early evening. Hence, toss is likely to play a crucial role in the match.
What happens if New Zealand vs Pakistan World Cup match is washed out?
If persistent rain in Bengaluru leaves match officials with no option but to abandon the game, Pakistan and New Zealand will have to share a point each. ICC has kept no reserve day for league games of World Cup 2023. Only knockout matches and the final have a designated reserve day assigned if weather plays spoilsport.
What will happen to Pakistan’s semifinal hopes in New Zealand game is washed out?
Pakistan need to win, they desperately do, to keep themselves alive in the semifinal race. But if rain ruins the crucial clash in Bengaluru, Pakistan will have to settle with a solitary point which will leave then with seven points from eight games and that would still mark an end to their forgettable World Cup campaign.
With seven points, Pakistan would remain in the sixth spot while New Zealand would rise to the third place with nine points. For Pakistan to go ahead, Afghanistan and third-placed Australia need to lose all their games, but both play each other three days later in Mumbai.
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