New Delhi: The ICC World Cup 2023 has reached its halfway point, and the battle of the top 4 is intensifying for all the teams except India, who are yet to drop points in the tournament.
Undefeated India and New Zealand took on each other on Sunday for the batt of supremacy, and it was the hosts India who eventually came out on top with a close 4 wickets victory over the black caps and secured the undisputed position at the top of the table.
Check out the complete points table below:
| Rank | Teams | M | W | L | N/R | Points | Net RR |
| 1 | India | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 10 | +1.35 |
| 2 | New Zealand | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 8 | +1.48 |
| 3 | South Africa | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | +2.21 |
| 4 | Australia | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | -0.19 |
| 5 | Pakistan | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | -0.45 |
| 6 | Bangladesh | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | -0.78 |
| 7 | Netherland | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | -0.79 |
| 8 | Sri Lanka | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | -1.04 |
| 9 | England | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | -1.24 |
| 10 | Afghanistan | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | -1.25 |
Final 4 race
With the conclusion of match number 22, the names of the top 4 have started to clear up a little, with India, New Zealand and South Africa being the firm favourites to take the top 3 spots while the battle of the number 4 spot will see an intense battle between Australia, Pakistan and England.
India, who were going neck and neck with New Zealand for the top spot, clinched the top spot on Sunday and now are the undisputed table toppers with 5 wins in 5 matches, India has so far defeated Australia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh and New Zealand, all while chasing and are now strongly expected to be the first team to qualify for the semifinals.
Winning Moment of India !! 🇮🇳🇮🇳
Winning Score Scored By Jadeja#INDvsNZ #CWC23 #INDvNZ #NZvIND pic.twitter.com/sb0k0mjp50— Updates (@sirfupdate) October 22, 2023
New Zealand is still going strong at the second spot with 4 wins in 5 matches, with their only loss coming against India on Sunday, however, the black caps are still in strong contention and will likely finish in the top 4 with ease.
The third spot is held by the South African team, who, despite their unexpected loss against the Netherlands, came strong in the next match to beat the defending champions England by 229 runs and secure a two-point gap between them and teams at number 4 and 5.
*ICC Cricket World Cup 2023,20th Match*
*🏴 ENG vs SA 🇿🇦 , Mumbai*
*ENG 170-10 (22)*
RSA 399-7 (50)
Mark Wood*: 43 (17)
*South Africa Win by 229 runs#ENGvSA | #CWC23#ICCCricketWorldCup pic.twitter.com/5VHDEPVzXV— Cricket Updates #CricketWorldCup2023 #PAKvSL (@Live4PSL) October 21, 2023
Australia, who looked out of colour at the start of the tournament, has finally regained their confidence and now, with back-to-back victories, has found their way to the top 4 with four points in four matches. They can, however, lose their spot to Pakistan if the latter manages to beat Afghanistan on Monday.
Time is running out for bottom-table teams
Out of the 6 teams outside the top 4, the two most favourites are Pakistan and England, but both teams are struggling at the moment with being stuck at fifth and ninth positions, respectively.
Mighty Pakistan 🆚 Brilliant Afghanistan
Two crucial #CWC23 points are on the line in Chennai today.
Tune in to watch ➡️ https://t.co/ObsrEL7ZMT pic.twitter.com/8sVCbVImVi
— ICC (@ICC) October 23, 2023
Pakistan can sneak back into the top 4 if they manage to defeat the Afghanistan team on Monday, however, things can’t be said the same for the English side, who needs a lot more than one win if they want to secure their position in the top four.
