After consistently playing well against the Netherlands, Pakistan have overtaken Afghanistan to secure the third spot in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League.
Playing a bilateral series against the Netherlands in Rotterdam, Pakistan have sealed the series 2-0, with one match left — scheduled to take place on August 20.
Following their back-to-back wins, Pakistan have 110 points after playing 17 matches in the current cycle with a net run rate of +0.221, as per the latest ICC standings.
England are on top with 125 points, Bangladesh are placed second with 120 points, and India are placed on the seventh spot on the list with 89 points after losing four matches out of nine played.
Each team earns 10 points for a win, five for a tie/no result/abandoned match, and zero for a loss.
In case Pakistan clean sweep the Netherlands in the ongoing series, it will lift their points to 120 and assure them of a place in next year’s event proper, irrespective of how their remaining two series against New Zealand and Afghanistan pan out.
11What is ICC Men’s CWC Super League?
According to ICC, the Super League is a brand new ODI competition, which takes place across two years and aims to raise the stakes of bilateral 50-over games. In its first edition, the Super League will help decide which teams feature in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 in India.
The CWC Super League is an important tour-nament for teams on the Road To 2023. It all depends on where the teams finish on the Super League points table. India, who are the hosts in 2023, and the other top seven teams will qualify automatically for the World Cup. The bottom five teams will play a qualifying tournament, which will also feature the best teams from the lower rungs of the competition.
If you think of it like steps, with the World Cup right on top, Super League is the level right below that, followed by CWC League 2 and CWC Chal-lenge League.
Since each point matters, there will be no dead rubbers and teams will always have to be at their very best.—Agencies
