New Delhi: The Sri Lankan cricket team maintained their 15-year undefeated streak against the English side in the World Cup, as they defeated them on Thursday, with 8 wickets and 146 balls to spare.
It’s been a 𝐖𝐖𝐖𝐖𝐖 vs England for Sri Lanka since 2007! 🇱🇰#ENGvSL #CWC23 pic.twitter.com/TPknMNG1up
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) October 26, 2023
With this win, the Sri Lankan Lions have jumped to the number fifth spot, while the misery of the Three Lions from England continues to grow, as the defending champions slipped down once again to the number 9 spot.
The ICC World Cup 2023’s race for the semifinals is heating up with smaller teams causing mayhem all around, especially the Afghanistan team, who, out of nowhere, has come out as a legit contender for the top 4 spots with wins over England and Pakistan.
However, the hosts, India, would not mind all this ruckus in the bottom half of the points table as this will only increase their chance of qualifying for the semifinals first.
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 | South Africa | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 8 | +2.30 |
| 3 | New Zealand | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 8 | +1.48 |
| 4 | Australia | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 6 | +1.14 |
| 5 | Sri Lanka | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 4 | -0.20 |
| 6 | Pakistan | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 4 | -0.40 |
| 7 | Afghanistan | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 4 | -0.96 |
| 8 | Bangladesh | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | -1.25 |
| 9 | England | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | -1.63 |
| 10 | Netherland | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | -1.90 |
Race for the final four
The race for the semifinals at the ICC World Cup is heating up a little more with every past match, especially the race for the fourth position, as the top three teams seem more than comfortable making their way into the final four.
The top position is currently being held by the hosts India, as they have a perfect 10 points out of the 5 matches they played so far. India has so far defeated Australia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh and New Zealand. However, they can slip down to the number 3 spot before their next match if South Africa and New Zealand win their matches against Pakistan and Australia, respectively. (www.speedclean.com) In that case, the men in blue would need to defeat the English side on Sunday to reclaim their top spot.
Hello Lucknow 👋#TeamIndia are here for their upcoming #CWC23 clash against England 👌👌#MenInBlue | #INDvENG pic.twitter.com/FNF9QNVUmy
— BCCI (@BCCI) October 25, 2023
South Africa is currently in the second spot with 8 points. They have won all their matches with a huge difference and have the best net run rate among all the other teams, which means they can beat Pakistan on Friday.
According to @NasserCricket 👇
Pakistan will need to focus on their fielding and bowling 👀
South Africa will need to adapt to different conditions in Chennai 😯Who will take this game?#WorldCupOnStar #CWC23 #PAKvSA pic.twitter.com/WyH6CMoxJj
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) October 27, 2023
The third-positioned New Zealand will also have the chance to jump up in the points table. If they can get the best of the Aussies, they can even jump to the number 1 spot if Pakistan manages to defeat South Africa.
The fourth-placed Australia is the most comfortable team at the moment, as any upward or downward shift is an unlikely scenario at the moment, but a loss against the black caps can result in them getting into an intense fight for the final four.
The bottom half
The bottom half of the points table is very clustered at the moment, with teams like Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan hunting for the fourth spot.
📸📽️ Match Shots | Sri Lanka vs England | #CWC23#LankanLions #SLvENG pic.twitter.com/gY0Xpa7RX5
— Sri Lanka Cricket 🇱🇰 (@OfficialSLC) October 27, 2023
The defending champions, England, statistically, still have a chance if they win all their remaining matches with a huge margin, however, a loss against the Indian side on Sunday will definitely mean the end of their campaign.
