World Cup 2023: India-New Zealand semi-final confirmed after England defeat Pakistan in Kolkata

New Zealand ended their ICC World Cup league stage campaign with a solid victory against Sri Lanka on Thursday, but could only confirm their place in the semi-finals during the England-Pakistan match in the second match of the Saturday double-header.

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The Black Caps, who have reached the semi-finals five times in the last six World Cups which included runner-up finishes in 2015 and 2019, ended the group stage with a total of 10 points after beating Sri Lanka by five wickets in Bengaluru on Thursday.

They also gave their Net Run Rate a big boost by chasing down the target of 171 set by the Lankans in just 23.2 overs, leaving Pakistan needing to defeat England by virtually impossible margins at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens for them to surge ahead.

England posted 337/9 on the board after electing to bat thanks to half-centuries from the trio of Ben Stokes (84), Joe Root (60) and Jonny Bairstow (59), and Pakistan needed to chase that target down in 6.5 overs if they were to pip the Kiwis to the semis.

LIVE: England vs Pakistan, ICC World Cup match in Kolkata

They would end up collecting 30 runs for the loss of two wickets at that stage of the innings though, with David Willey — who is set to retire from international cricket after the match — removing openers Abdullah Shafique and Fakhar Zaman for 0 and 1 respectively.

Pakistan would eventually fall well short of the target, getting bowled out for 244 to suffer a 93-run defeat in their final game of the tournament.

New Zealand are set to face India, the only team to have not lost a single match so far, in the first semi-final at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday, 15 November. This will be the second consecutive World Cup semi-final meeting between the two sides; the Kane Williamson-led Black Caps had defeated the Men in Blue by 18 runs in Manchester in 2019, with the semi-final clash spanning two days due to rain.

South Africa and Australia square off in the other semi-final that takes place at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens the following day. The two sides have met twice at this stage of ICC’s showpiece event in the past — in 1999 and 2007 respectively.

The iconic 1999 semi-final in Edgbaston ended in a thrilling tie, with Steve Waugh’s Australia progressing into the final. The Ricky Ponting-led Aussie would then thrash the Proteas comprehensively eight years later in Gros Islet by seven wickets after bowling them out for 149.