Cricket World Cup 2023: The torrid run of the 2019 ODI World Cup winners England continued as they went down to Sri Lanka in match 25 of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.
Opting to bat first, England were bowled out for a paltry score of 156 inside 34 overs. They began on a positive note and were 45-0 in 6 overs but the wicket of Malan changed the course of the game and England kept losing wickets at regular intervals.
In response, Sri Lanka started off on a backfoot and were 23-2 after 5.2 overs but a 100+ runs partnership between Nissanka and Samarawickrama ensured that Sri Lanka won the match comfortably by 8 wickets inside 26 overs.
This was England's fourth loss in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 with the solitary win coming against Bangladesh in match 7 of the tournament.
With just 2 points in five games, England are on the brink of being knocked out of the ODI World Cup.
So let's find out what are the chances of the England team as we head into the business end of the tournament.
How many points does England need to make it to the World Cup semi-finals?
Looking at the past ODI World Cup records, a total of 12 points are needed to make it to the semifinal stage. With just four matches to go, England cannot match this tally and can go up to a maximum of 10 points. But they would still have a small chance of making it to the semis considering the results of the other matches going in their favour.
England World Cup 2023 Qualification Scenario Explained
Before we look at the scenarios, let's look at the remaining World Cup fixtures for the England cricket team. Here are the four matches which England will play in the coming weeks.
India vs England, Sunday, October 29
England vs Australia, Saturday, November 4
England vs Netherlands, Wednesday, November 8
England vs Pakistan, Saturday, November 11
For England to have any chance to qualify for the semi-finals they need to win all their remaining four matches which will take their tally to 10 points. This is the minimum they have to achieve to stand any chance as far as qualification is concerned and this alone won't be enough as the results of the other matches will swing the favour in or against the England cricket team.
Net Run Rate will also be one of the deciding factors if more than one team reaches 10 points at the end of the league stage. Sadly for England, they have one of the worst net-run rate among all 10 teams. After their loss to Sri Lanka, they have slipped to 9th position in the points table with an NRR of -1.634. So England will need to win these matches comprehensively to have any chance of qualifying for the semis.
England will play table toppers and host nation India in their next match on October 29. If England ends up losing this game, then it will be the end of the World Cup campaign for the 2019 World Cup winners as they will remain rooted on 2 points with just three games to go.
The following matches which will take place in the days prior to the England-India match will also play a crucial role in deciding the fate of the England team.
Pakistan vs South Africa
Australia vs New Zealand
A win for Pakistan and Australia in their respective matches will see both these teams rise in the points table to 6 and 8 points respectively. If England do win their game against India they will still get knocked out if they lose against Australia in their following match.
ICC World Cup 2023 Points Table and Standings
| Rank | Team | Matches | Win | Loss | Points | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | 5 | 5 | 0 | 10 | 1.35 |
| 2 | South Africa | 5 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 2.37 |
| 3 | New Zealand | 5 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 1.48 |
| 4 | Australia | 5 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 1.14 |
| 5 | Sri Lanka | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | -1.048 |
| 6 | Pakistan | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | -0.205 |
| 7 | Afghanistan | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | -0.969 |
| 8 | Bangladesh | 5 | 1 | 4 | 2 | -1.253 |
| 9 | England | 5 | 1 | 4 | 2 | -1.634 |
| 10 | Netherlands | 5 | 1 | 4 | 2 | -1.902 |
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