India are firmly at the top of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 points table after their crushing victory over South Africa in Kolkata.
The Indian team is ahead by points and net run rate as well. They have 16 points from eight matches with a net run rate of +2.456. South Africa’s second place in the table is now at risk after their net run rate drastically took a hit following their 243-run loss to Team India on Sunday 5 November at Eden Gardens. Both teams have qualified for the knockout stage of World Cup 2023.
Australia are the third team to have qualified for the knockout stage, following a miraculous win over Afghanistan in Mumbai. The five-time champions have 12 points from eight games and are a position below the South Africans because of a lower net run rate (+0.861).
New Zealand have now lost four games in a row in the 2023 World Cup and have slipped to fourth place on the table. The Black Caps have eight points from eight matches. Third-placed Australia have 10 points from seven matches and need one win from their remaining two group games to secure a place in the semi-final. The Australians have a better net run rate, +0.924, compared to New Zealand’s +0.398.
The Black Caps are currently level on points with Pakistan and Afghanistan, who are in the fifth and sixth spot on the World Cup 2023 table. Afghanistan, who have a game in hand, can go past the Kiwis if they win their upcoming match against Australia on Tuesday.
Sri Lanka lost to already-eliminated Bangladesh by three wickets in Delhi on Monday and became the third team to get knocked out of the World Cup 2023. The two sides have four points each from eight games and are placed seventh and eighth on the table. The Netherlands also have four points but have played a game less and they currently sit in the ninth spot.
Defending champions England, who sit at the bottom of the table, are the only side to have won just one game in the tournament, but they have two more games remaining in the group stage.
England’s campaign ended on Saturday after they suffered a 33-run loss to Australia at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium, which marked their fifth consecutive defeat in the ongoing World Cup. English skipper Jos Buttler took the blame for the team’s World Cup knockout during the post-match conference.
“My own form has been the biggest concern. To have not played as well as I can. My own performances with the bat have really hurt us. I have a pivotal position in the side. So to perform as poorly as I have done has had a big impact on the team,” Buttler told reporters.
Buttler called England’s elimination a “low point as a captain” during a post-match interview soon after England’s World Cup exit.
“A low point as a captain, you stand in this position, you came to India with high hopes and expectations, we haven’t done ourselves any justice, everyone knows how much hard work we’ve put, and these losses weigh high on our shoulders,” said Buttler.
