The Indian Women’s Team saw their winning-run end against England at St. George’s Park as the Lionesses registered a hard-fought 11-run win. This defeat has now complicated India’s route to the knockout stage as the arch-rivals and Pakistan still have an outside chance to get one of the top spots in Group B.
Currently, England is first in group two with three wins in three matches and six points. India is second and has a total of four points while Pakistan is third with one win in two games. West Indies is in the fourth and has just one win in three games and a total of two points. Finishing off the group, Ireland is last after losing all their matches so far.
Let us look at how the Indian Women’s Team can qualify for the knockout stage:
If West Indies beat Pakistan:
If Hayley Williams’ side wins their match against Pakistan, they will be tied at four points. But despite the win, the Windies wouldn’t overtake India on the table because of their net run rate. The win will halt Pakistan at two points before they play their final game against England.
With the loss, Pakistan now has to win their final group-stage game against England to earn a total of four points and need Ireland to beat India to qualify for the final four. In this case, both teams will finish with four points, and Pakistan will be above India with a better NRR.
If Pakistan beats West Indies:
If Pakistan beats West Indies in the match, they will have four points and will move above India because of their superior NRR. After this, India will have to beat Ireland in their final group-stage match to stay alive in the final-four race.
If the Women in Blue defeat Ireland, Pakistan would need a win over England to deny India’s spot in the semi-finals. If India loses to Ireland, they would need England to beat Pakistan by a massive margin to ensure that the Pakistani team’s NRR takes a massive hit.
