India are on the verge of elimination from the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024 and the team that they have to rely on to get out of trouble is their arch rivals Pakistan. (Full Coverage | More Cricket News)
Pakistan face New Zealand in the final Group A match of the tournament and at stake is the second semi-final spot after Australia locked the first one for themselves.
Pakistan vs New Zealand Preview
The 19th match of the tournament sees New Zealand and Pakistan going head to head. Pakistan started the competition on a bright note with a win against Sri Lanka but faced defeat against India and Australia in their next two games.
New Zealand got off to a dream start with a 58-run victory over India in their opener. However, the net run rate boost that the White Ferns got through India win was cancelled by a 60-run defeat to Australia. They managed to get their second win of the tournament by defeating New Zealand and now remain the front-runner from Group A to get the second semi-final ticket.
Sharjah has seen better pitches than Dubai and New Zealand might fancy their chances with relatively higher bounce at the venue. Pakistan remain unpredictable but beating New Zealand will be a might task for them. The unavailability of pacer Diana Baig would be a concern for Pakistan against a full-strength New Zealand side. Though, skipper Fatima Sana's return will boost Pakistan's batting.
New Zealand's road to the semifinal is straight-forward. They win and lock the second semi-final spot from Group A. However, a loss would put curtains to their campaign.
For Pakistan, even a win might not suffice. If they lose, they are out. If Pakistan win, then they would have to get that win in either 9.1 overs or at least by 53 runs.
India Women's T20 World Cup 2024 Qualification Scenario
If Pakistan beat New Zealand, India will sneak into the semi-finals. This remains the simplest way for India to get the second semi-final spot from Group A. In case, Pakistan win by a massive margin to overtake India on net run rate, then Pakistan will go through leaving India and New Zealand behind. However, with the slow nature of pitches and low-scoring affairs all around, getting a big run rate boost remains difficult for Pakistan.
