Pakistan Hosts with Joy

After a long time, Pakistan is hosting an international cricket event, but this joy seems to be short-lived. It was decades ago that Pakistan last hosted an ICC event. After the terrorist attack on the Sri Lanka team in 2008, no international teams visited Pakistan for nearly a decade. Somehow, Pakistan managed to bring in teams like West Indies to play in the country, and then, after assuring security, they finally hosted the Champions Trophy.

However, the Champions Trophy faced delays for a long time, as India expressed reluctance to participate, which caused a delay. If India did not participate, the revenue from TV rights would decrease, leading to discussions within the ICC about whether the event would even happen. Furthermore, hosting the tournament without India wouldn’t bring much financial benefit to Pakistan. Eventually, India relented to the conditions and allowed Pakistan to host the tournament. Meanwhile, Pakistan is conducting their league matches in Dubai, hosted by India.

Speaking of Pakistan, they suffered a loss in their opening match against New Zealand, and later, even in their match against India in Dubai, they couldn’t manage to win. Only the match against Bangladesh remains. Whether they win or lose against Bangladesh, Pakistan's situation will not change much.

In a group with four teams, India has already won their first two matches. Their third match will be against New Zealand. With their win over Pakistan, New Zealand registered their first victory. The team still has matches against Bangladesh and India. Based on New Zealand's form, they could defeat Bangladesh, and there is also a possibility that New Zealand might challenge India. If New Zealand wins against India, there’s a chance for India to finish first in the group based on run rate, with a chance to reach the semi-finals in Dubai. The final will likely be held in Lahore.

For Pakistan to reach the semi-finals, they must secure a massive victory over Bangladesh. With consecutive losses, Pakistan’s net run rate has dropped into negative territory, so they need a big win against Bangladesh to improve their run rate.

Additionally, Bangladesh must beat New Zealand, and India should beat New Zealand. If these conditions are met, the team with the best net run rate among Bangladesh, New Zealand, and Pakistan will proceed to the semi-finals. However, if New Zealand wins against Bangladesh, then both Bangladesh and Pakistan will be eliminated from the tournament.