ENG vs PAK: England and Pakistan face each other in the 44th match of World Cup 2023 at the Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata as November 11 sees the final double-header of the tournament. The two sides are playing for different motives with England eyeing a spot in the Champions Trophy, while the Men in Green are gunning to do the improbable task of reaching the semifinals of the tournament.
Pakistan have to beat the Three Lions by a massive margin of 287 runs to pip New Zealand's Net run rate and book their place in the semifinals. Whereas, England also need a win to confirm their place in the Champions Trophy in all likelihood.
How can England qualify even if they lose to Pakistan?
England are currently in 7th place in the World Cup points table with 4 points in 8 games. They face competition from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Netherlands for a top-eight finish, which is the criteria for the Champions Trophy qualification (with Pakistan in the top 7). If the 2019 World Champions lose to the Men in Green they can get knocked out for a spot but that is not guaranteed.
England have 4 points in 8 games and are placed seventh, while their competitors are - Sri Lanka (4 points in 9 games), Bangladesh (4 in 8 before AUS vs BAN clash) and Netherlands (4 in 8 games). Here is England's qualification scenario.
Scenario #1: England not to lose big
England would be hoping to win the match to stay in healthy contention for the Champions Trophy qualification. However, if they lose, they would not want to go down by a big margin. A big loss will push their Net run rate below to what the other teams have. Bangladesh, Sri Lanka would be then gunning to push the Three Lions out of the top eight.
Scenario #2: Bangladesh lose to Australia
If Bangladesh, who are playing against Australia in the first double-header encounter, lose to Australia, England can qualify for the 2025 Champions Trophy in Pakistan. Bangladesh, who also have 4 points, will stay there and will be level with England if they too lose to the Babar Azam's team. However, a Bangladesh win will put England in trouble if they themselves lose.
Scenario #3: Netherlands to lose to India
The Netherlands are already below England and if they manage to beat undefeated India somehow, they can pip England and pose a threat to take the CT spot from them. If England lose to Pakistan, they would hope that two of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Netherlands stay below them so that they maintain their place in the required top-eight. A Netherlands loss would help in this case.
