India and Pakistan will face off in their respective last Super Sixes game of the U19 World Cup on Saturday (January 31), with a semifinal spot on the line. Here’s how they can qualify for the last four.
India come into the match with a perfect record of three wins and no defeats, having gotten the better of Bangladesh and New Zealand in the group stage before comprehensively beating Zimbabwe in the Super Sixes. They are leading the Group 2 table with six points, the same as England, and a healthy NRR of +3.337.
Pakistan, meanwhile, are third with four points, following a loss against England and a win over Zimbabwe, which have carried over from the group stage, on top of a handsome eight-wicket victory over New Zealand in the Super Sixes.
England, who are playing New Zealand in their last game of the stage, would qualify for the semifinals with a win, leaving just one spot open from the group. This scenario looks highly likely given the Kiwis’ dismal form and England’s fine run so far.
Super Sixes Group 2 table before last round of matches
| Teams | Matches | Wins | Losses | Tie/NR | Points | NRR |
| India | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | +3.337 |
| England | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | +1.989 |
| Pakistan | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | +1.484 |
| Bangladesh | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | -2.092 |
| New Zealand | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | -5.144 |
| Zimbabwe | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | -3.416 |
How India and Pakistan can qualify for U19 World Cup semifinal
India will directly qualify for the semifinals with a win over Pakistan. It will take their points tally to eight, which will be at least level with England. Pakistan, though, will need to beat India while also boosting their NRR significantly to move to the last four.
If they bat first and score 250 runs, Pakistan will need to win by at least 89 runs to overhaul India’s NRR and take the second spot on the table. If they chase and India score 300, Pakistan will need to chase that down in 35 overs.
Super 6 - Match 12, India Under-19 vs Pakistan Under-19
vs
If Pakistan bat second
| If India score... | Pakistan need to chase in (overs) |
| 150 | 29.2 |
| 200 | 31.3 |
| 250 | 33.2 |
| 300 | 35.0 |
| 350 | 36.3 |
If Pakistan bat first
| If Pakistan score... | They must win by (runs) |
| 150 | 98 |
| 200 | 93 |
| 250 | 89 |
| 300 | 85 |
| 350 | 81 |
Notably, Pakistan had beaten India by a hefty 191 runs in the final of the U19 Asia Cup in December 2025. A similar outcome on Saturday would take them through to the last four of the World Cup.
Can India and Pakistan both qualify?
India and Pakistan can both qualify only if England lose their ongoing Super Sixes game against New Zealand. Pakistan will then need to beat India to get to six points, leaving all three teams tied on points. In that case, the top two will be decided by net run rate.
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