ICC CWC'19: How these 4 teams can still qualify for the semi-finals
England's loss means the fourth spot on the table opens up to four other contenders- Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and West Indies.
Mumbai: England started the world cup as favourites but has now lost three of their seven matches, two of them being consecutive losses to Sri Lanka and Australia.
With the defeat against Australia on Tuesday, the world cup sprang back into action. England not picking up points on Tuesday means the fourth spot on the table opens up to four other contenders- Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and West Indies.
With less than two weeks left for the first semi-final game, Every team is yet to play at least two more matches. This is how each team can qualify for the fourth spot-
England
The race for the fourth spot is simple for England, who will qualify if they win both remaining games against India and Australia. If the team loses one or both of the matches, their chances of making it to the semi-finals would still exist, but be very slim and would heavily depend on Bangladesh and Sri Lanka losing matches.
Bangladesh
Shakib Al Hasan has taken Mortaza’s team up to the fifth spot and they stand a strong chance of beating England to the top four. The team must win their remaining two games and count on England losing at least one of their remaining matches.
Sri Lanka
After facing two washouts in a row and settling for a single point on both occasions, Sri Lanka defeated England in a shocking match that set the wheels in motion for the fourth place race. They must now win all three of their remaining games, and count on England losing one of its two remaining matches.
If Sri Lanka loses even one match, they will need England to lose both matches, and Pakistan and Bangladesh to lose a match each, to qualify. If they lose two matches or more, they are simply out of the tournament.
Pakistan
Pakistan have faced heavy criticism from all directions after their loss against arch-rivals India. However, thanks to the previous win against England and the recent win over South Africa, Pakistan are still in the race.
They must win all three of their remaining games, and hope that England and Sri Lanka lose at least one more game each.
West Indies
With England’s loss to Australia, West Indies is also back in the fourth spot race; however, the chances are very, very slim. For West Indies to make it to the top four, miraculous combinations of results need to happen. England and Bangladesh must lose all their remaining matches, Pakistan should lose against New Zealand and Afghanistan; Sri Lanka should lose to either India or South Africa. And of course, the team must win all their remaining matches starting with the clash against India on Thursday.