T20 World Cup 2024: Can Canada make it to the Super 8 after losing to Pakistan in the qualification round?

On Tuesday, June 11, at Nassau County Stadium in New York, Canada and Pakistan squared off in Match 22 of the current T20 World Cup 2024. Pakistan chose to bowl first after winning the toss. Pakistan substituted Iftikhar Ahmed for Saim Ayub, and Canada substituted Ravinderpal Singh for Dilpreet Bajwa. That was the only change made by either team.

After Canada got off to a fast start, Mohammad Amir ended the opening partnership in the third over, with the score at 20/1, by dismissing Navneet Dhaliwal. Regretfully, Canada had no other legitimate batter to turn to since they were all out for single digit scores. Aaron Johnson, however, stood like a rock at the other end, making a solid 52 runs off 44 balls, smashing four fours and as many sixes, while wickets dropped at one end. Mohammad Amir and Haris Rauf each claimed two wickets for Pakistan. After 20 overs, Canada reached 106/7 to end the innings.

Also read: T20 World Cup 2024: Who is Aaron Johnson? All the information you require about the top Canadian batter

The pursuit of Pakistan got off to a calm start. In the fifth over, with the score at 20/1, Saim Ayub was bowled cheaply for just six runs. But before Babar Azam was removed by Heyliger for his second wicket, he and Mohammad Rizwan shared a crucial 63-run partnership. Fakhar Zaman was removed for four runs in the 18th over despite his best efforts to end the match early. With 15 balls left and seven wickets in hand, Usman Khan and Rizwan eventually saw Pakistan through with an undefeated run-a-ball score of 53. With statistics of 2/18 off his four overs, Dilon Heyliger was the most impressive bowler for Canada.

What must Canada perform in order to go into the Super 8 round of the T20 World Cup in 2024?

To advance to the following round, Canada faces a challenging assignment. Their challenge is far from easy, having already lost two of the three matches they have played and have one remaining against India. Although it won’t be simple, defeating India is a must. Furthermore, with an NRR of -0.439, they need to win large to give themselves a solid chance of moving on to the Super 8 round.

However, they will be heavily dependent on other outcomes. Canada would prefer that Ireland defeat Pakistan and the USA lose to India in order for them to have a chance. At that point, the question will be whose NRR is higher. It will be extremely tough for Canada to place second in the group and advance to the next round if the aforementioned outcomes do not occur.