Prior to the World Cup, two sides were consistently selected in all of the forecasts made by knowledgeable and seasoned cricket players.
However, the two ultimately took diverging courses. Based on their preparation for the World Cup, India, who were expected to repeat their 2011 victory as simple hosts, have already established themselves as all but likely to make it to the semifinals.
However, England, who were expected to defend their crown thanks to the team’s experience with the white-ball revolution, are about to lose.
The 2019 winners are positioned in the bottom part of the table after dropping three of their first four games. In the opening match of the competition, New Zealand defeated England in a retaliatory win for the Blackcaps, who were playing for a rematch of the 2019 final.
After defeating Afghanistan by 69 runs, England bounced back to overcome Bangladesh in their second match, but South Africa further humiliated them with the greatest loss the squad had ever suffered in One-Day International cricket: 229 runs.
England’s campaign was thus left in limbo after the defeat, but they still have time to turn things around.
With five games remaining, England has a solid chance of qualifying for the World Cup’s knockout stages with a variety of victories. With five games left in the tournament, they may still finish with a maximum of 12 points, which might not guarantee them a spot in the semifinals but would certainly give them hope.
Therefore, England’s destiny is determined by the outcomes of their next league games as well as the performances of the other nine teams.
With five matches remaining, Bangladesh (-1.253) and the Netherlands (-1.902) have the same number of points as Jos Buttler’s team, making England’s current NRR of -1.247 the only one above them.
