Pakistan prepares to face arch-rivals India in their second match of the T20 World Cup on Sunday, the Babar Azam-led side is determined to bounce back after their shocking defeat to the USA in Dallas on Thursday. The match taking place in New York City (NYC) is crucial for Pakistan's hopes of advancing to the Super 8 stage.
The tournament has already seen some surprising outcomes, with India kicking off their campaign with a dominant victory over Ireland at the same venue on Wednesday. The USA, co-hosting the tournament, has maintained a perfect record so far, adding pressure on Pakistan to secure a win and keep their qualification hopes alive.
Group-A current standings
Ireland currently leads Group A with 4 points from two matches and a Net Run Rate (NRR) of +0.62. India, with 2 points from their sole match, boasts an impressive NRR of +3.06. Canada follows with 2 points from two matches, having won against Ireland after losing to the USA. Pakistan and Ireland are at the bottom, yet to score any points.
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Qualification scenarios for Pakistan
Pakistan faces a tough path to the Super 8. Even if they win all their remaining matches, their fate might still hinge on Net Run Rate (NRR) and other teams' results.
A loss to India would mean Pakistan needs the USA to lose both of their remaining matches to advance. Conversely, suppose Pakistan, India, and the USA all end up with six points each. In that case, the final standings will be determined by NRR, where Pakistan currently lags behind both the USA and India.
Pakistan not only needs victories but also must aim for substantial margins to improve its NRR. With Canada also in contention, winning all their games and relying on favorable outcomes from other matches, the competition in Group A is set to be fierce.
The upcoming match against India is more than just a game as Pakistan is looking to leverage its strengths and rectify its mistakes from the previous match.
Net Run Rate (NRR) explained
Net Run Rate (NRR) has become the preferred method of breaking ties in multi-team one-day international tournaments. It is often misunderstood, but really quite simple to understand.
A team's net run rate is calculated by deducting from the average runs per over scored by that team throughout the competition, the average runs per over scored against that team throughout the competition.
In the event of a team being all out in less than its full quota of overs, the calculation of its net run rate shall be based on the full quota of overs to which it would have been entitled and not on the number of overs in which the team was dismissed.
