Going into the final day of the Super 12s, four out of six teams in Group 2 will vie for the two semi-final slots.
Bangladesh and Pakistan meet in Adelaide in Sunday’s second match with their fate in their own hands. Pakistan though have a better chance of qualifying than Bangladesh.
Babar Azam’s men will have to win against Bangladesh and hope at least one of India or South Africa lose their last match.
Wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan. Getty Images
For Bangladesh, the scenario is grim but they will be hoping for a miracle. They are the most precariously placed because of their abysmal NRR. Like Pakistan, they will need one of India or South Africa to lose on Sunday. If India lose and South Africa win, they will need to bolster their NRR hugely to go past Rohit Sharma’s men. If South Africa lose, Bangladesh can go through with a win against Pakistan with the India vs Zimbabwe result immaterial.
It could, however, be all for nothing. Both sides have floundered in crucial moments in the Super 12 stage: Pakistan against India and Zimbabwe, and Bangladesh also against India. This will be one final opportunity to pull things back for both the teams.
Pacers Shaheen Shah Afridi. Getty Images
With victories in their last eight completed T20 matches against Bangladesh, Pakistan will be expected to keep the semi-final race alive until at least the India match and pray Zimbabwe can do the unthinkable.
Pakistan will bank on their openers Babar and Mohammad Rizwan to fire.
Haris Rauf during the ongoing T20 World Cup. Getty Images
The opening partnership has so far yielded 1, 13, 16 and 4. Similarly, they will hope the likes of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf make use of the Adelaide pace and bounce.
“You don’t need any motivation, whether it’s the World Cup or not,” said Pakistan batsman Shan Masood.
“Just playing for your country, putting that shirt on, I think for every individual in this camp, it means a lot.”
Bangladesh were confident of beating Pakistan.
“We believe we can beat Pakistan. The India match has given us confidence. Qualifying for the semi-final is not in our hands,” Bangladesh’s consultant Sridharan Sriram said.
