Pakistan Officially Out of ODI World Cup 2023, India to face New Zealand in Semi-finals
New Zealand has officially secured a spot in the semi-finals of the 2023 World Cup and is set to face India in a rematch of the 2019 tournament. The Kiwis’ qualification was confirmed when Pakistan failed to chase a challenging 338-run target against England within an unlikely 6.4 overs. Although Pakistan could potentially match New Zealand’s points, they can no longer surpass the Kiwis in Net Run Rate (NRR).
Prior to the final set of group matches at the 2023 World Cup, Pakistan needed Sri Lanka to defeat New Zealand to ease their path to the semi-finals. A Kiwi loss would have allowed Pakistan to overtake them in points with a win over England. Unfortunately for Pakistan, Sri Lanka suffered a significant five-wicket defeat in Bengaluru.
Pakistan Officially Out of ODI World Cup 2023, India to face New Zealand in Semi-finals
India is now set to face New Zealand in the ODI World Cup semi-finals for the second consecutive time. In the previous encounter four years ago, New Zealand emerged victorious in a rain-affected match in Manchester, handing India a 21-run loss over two days. In the current edition, India secured a 4-wicket victory over a Williamson-less New Zealand side in the group stage last month. With Williamson returning to the XI, the Kiwis pose a formidable threat to India’s aspirations of reaching their first World Cup final since 2011 when they lifted the trophy in Mumbai.
Despite the challenge posed by New Zealand, India enters the semi-final with confidence. They are poised to finish at the top of the group stage after their last match against the Netherlands on Sunday. Rohit Sharma’s team has maintained an undefeated record throughout the tournament and aims to preserve it in the semi-final against New Zealand in Mumbai.
The upcoming match on Sunday marks the conclusion of the group stage, and India will resume action on Wednesday for the first semi-final in Mumbai. Subsequently, South Africa will face Australia in the second semi-final in Kolkata on Thursday.
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