The ODI World Cup semi-final between South Africa and Australia will be shifted to the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai if Pakistan qualify for the knockouts, sources in the International Cricket Council confirmed to the Free Press Journal on Thursday.
If Pakistan manage to reach the semis then they will face arch-rivals India once again in this tournament. In that case, the semi-final will be played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on November 15.
But if Pakistan don't reach the semis then India will face either New Zealand or Afghanistan in Mumbai and South Africa will take on Australia in Kolkata as per the original schedule.
Why Pakistan won't play in Mumbai
India are scheduled to play their semifinal match in Mumbai only if they don't face Pakistan. The Men in Green have refused to play in Mumbai due to security reasons.
Pakistan have been very vocal about their reluctance to play in Mumbai from a very long time and had made it clear they would play their semifinal in Kolkata only.
Pakistan last played an international match in Mumbai way back in 1979 where they lost to India in a Test match and since then no Pakistan team has set foot here.
Pakistan qualification scenario explained
But Pakistan's qualification depends on the result of the match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka which is being played at the M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru.
If New Zealand manage to beat Sri Lanka by a comfortable margin then Pakistan's qualification will take a hit even if they defeat England in their last league game. A loss against the defending champions in Kolkata on November 11 will automatically knockout Pakistan from the race for the semis.
