New Zealand's hopes of advancing to the Super 8 stage of the T20 World Cup are hanging by a thread after their 13-run loss to the West Indies on Thursday. The defeat leaves the Black Caps winless after two games in Group C and languishing at the bottom of the standings with zero points and a poor net run rate of -2.425.

However, New Zealand are not mathematically eliminated yet. They still have games remaining against Uganda and Papua New Guinea. For the Black Caps to have any chance of progression, they will need a near-miraculous set of results to go their way.

The key factor is the performance of Afghanistan, who currently occupy second place in the group with two wins from two matches, including a victory over New Zealand. The Black Caps desperately need Afghanistan to lose both of their remaining games against Papua New Guinea and the West Indies.

Even if Afghanistan lose to Papua New Guinea, a victory over the West Indies could still see them through depending on net run rate. A rained-out game against PNG would also eliminate New Zealand.

The odds are heavily stacked against New Zealand, but they must win their last two games and hope other results go their way to have any chance of an unlikely progression to the Super 8 stage.

The loss to the West Indies has left the Black Caps in a precarious position, and they face an uphill climb to keep their T20 World Cup dreams alive.