Pakistan's World Cup qualification scenario against New Zealand and Bengaluru weather

Babar Azam's team can get closer to last-four spot with big win on Saturday

Pakistan still have a chance of qualifying for the World Cup semi-finals. AP

Pakistan have been handed a huge lifeline in their quest of qualifying for the 2023 World Cup semi-finals.

After four consecutive defeats, Babar Azam's team were on the verge of an early exit from the tournament. However, they made a quick turnaround against Bangladesh to complete a commanding win and earn a significant improvement in their net run rate.

Just as Pakistan got their act together, New Zealand – one of the teams in the race for the last-four spot – went completely off track.

In their high-profile clash against South Africa, not only did the Black Caps lose, they got thrashed by a huge margin of 190 runs. That result provided an opening for teams like Pakistan and Afghanistan to push for a late charge towards the final stretch of the group phase.

Pakistan's next match is against New Zealand in Bengaluru on Saturday (9am start UAE time), which will go a long way in deciding where both teams stand in the qualification race.

What Pakistan need to do in their match against New Zealand

New Zealand are currently on four wins and three defeats with a net run rate of 0.484, while Pakistan have three wins and four defeats for a NRR of -0.024. Pakistan can move ahead of New Zealand if they defeat the Kiwis either by a margin of around 84 runs or chase the target inside 35 overs.

In that scenario, both teams will be on eight points but Pakistan will have a marginally better net run rate and have a much clearer shot at two remaining semi-final spots since both India and South Africa already have six wins apiece.

However, if Pakistan lose the match against the Kiwis, that would mean the end of their World Cup, more or less, as they can only rise eight points at best if they defeat England in their final group game. Then, Australia will need to win one out of their remaining three games, or ensure they don't loose too badly to push Pakistan out of the race.

Weather in Bengaluru

The forecast for the day match between Pakistan and New Zealand in Bengaluru is for a cloudy day with chance for light rains.

There is high probability of rain from the weekend onwards, and Pakistan will be hoping for a full game as shared points will do them no good.