England qualified for the 2019 ICC World Cup semi-finals on Wednesday with a thumping win over New Zealand. The hosts needed to win their last two games of the league stage to earn a knockouts berth and they have done so convincingly with victories against India and the Kiwis.

However, England’s triumph on Wednesday has one another important consequence – it has become nearly impossible for Pakistan to qualify for the next round.

Sarfaraz Ahmed and Co needed New Zealand to beat England to have a realistic chance of reaching the semis. Pakistan are now on nine points with just a game in hand, while the Black Caps are on 11 points with no league match left to play.

Points table after England's win vs New Zealand

Team Matches Wins Losses NR NRR Points
Australia (Q) 8 7 1 0 +1.000 14
India (Q) 8 6 1 1 +0.811 13
England (Q) 9 6 3 0 +1.152 12
New Zealand 9 5 3 1 +0.175 11
Pakistan 8 4 3 1 -0.792 9
Sri Lanka 8 3 3 2 -0.934 8
Bangladesh 8 3 4 1 -0.195 7
South Africa 8 2 5 1 -0.080 5
West Indies 8  1 6 1 -0.335 3
Afghanistan 8  0 8 0 -1.418 0
On mobile phones, scroll across to see full table

Now, Pakistan can reach a maximum of 11 points if they beat Bangladesh at Lord’s on Friday. This will mean that have they have the same number of points and victories as New Zealand at the end of the league stage. The clincher will then be Net-Run-Rate. And if that’s the case, Kane Williamson and Co are all but certain to go through.

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Pakistan will need a miracle to qualify for the semi-finals now. Here are their qualification scenarios:

Of course, with Pakistan having a hilariously impossible chance of making it to the semi-finals, Twitter had a lot to say.

Here are some reactions: