CHENNAI: For so long on Friday night, the match on Saturday night was going to be contested for pride. Not anymore. With Will Jacks and Rehan Ahmed taking England over the line in a thriller, Pakistan are alive. The smart money is still on the Kiwis advancing to the semifinal stage of the tournament but Pakistan now know that a big win over Sri Lanka will take them through on NRR.
On NRR, the Black Caps are way superior at +1.39. Pakistan, who copped a defeat at the hands of England, are on -0.46. If Pakistan are to overturn that deficit, they need to either win by over 65 runs or chase down any target in under 13 overs or so. These figures are an approximation and it will become clear once the first innings in Saturday's match in complete.
After the first innings on Friday was complete, many thought New Zealand had enough on the board a spinning wicket at the R Premadasa Stadium. They made 159 but England, despite losing wickets at regular intervals, kept inching towards the target. It seemed like it was curtains for them when they lost their sixth wicket with 43 needed to win the game in just over three overs. That's when Jacks and Ahmed, playing his first game of the tournament, stitched a nerveless partnership to take them through as Group 2 toppers. The reward for that is a semifinal in Mumbai on March 5. If India win their game against West Indies on Sunday, they will face England there.