Pakistan out of ICC Cricket World Cup 2007

Defeated by Ireland at Sabina Park yesterday, Pakistan no longer have any chance of qualification for the Super 8 stage of the ICC Cricket World Cup, leaving three teams from Group D still in the running.

With two matches under their belt and no points from either, the team that many pegged to go through to the next round, cannot claw back enough points to secure a place in the second stage of the tournament.

Ireland are sitting on three points after their thrilling tie with Zimbabwe on Thursday March 15 netted them a single point to add to the two points they collected in their St. Patrick's Day triumph, positioning them at the top of Group D. The West Indies beat Pakistan in the tournament's opening game at Sabina Park and are currently on two points and sit in second place while Zimbabwe are third-placed with one point.

Even if Pakistan get two points by beating Zimbabwe in their final Group Stage match, two of the three other teams in the group will have more points and would therefore supersede Pakistan in qualifying for the next round of the Event which begins in Antigua on Tuesday March 27.

The tournament structure means that the designation D1 is now open to either Zimbabwe or Ireland, should they qualify for the Super 8 of the Cricket World Cup. The West Indies, should they qualify, will retain their D2 designation, whether they come first or second in the group, and will play all the Super 8 matches assigned to D2.

If there are teams with equal points in any group, the right to play in the Super 8s will be decided primarily by the number of outright wins a team has.

If teams are positioned equally with respect to both points and wins, then the team with the higher net run rate over the course of the Group Stage will be placed higher.