It’s the final week of the round-robin stage of the Cricket World Cup and we’re going to see some intense battles for a spot in the semifinals. England’s win against India means that Sri Lanka is out. Even if they win their two remaining matches and England loses to New Zealand, Sri Lanka will finish with the same number of points as England, but with one fewer win (because of two rained-out matches), which is the first tie-breaker for teams level on points.
With Australia already through, five teams officially are battling for the three remaining spots: India, New Zealand, England, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Among them, though, India and New Zealand are all but finished because of their superior net run rate — which essentially leaves England, Pakistan and Bangladesh fighting for one slot.
Keeping all of these scenarios in mind, here are the top three matches to look out for this week:
Bangladesh vs. India
Tuesday, July 2, 5:30 a.m.
2:00
The Bangladesh allrounder’s phenomenal performances with bat and ball have lit up the World Cup. How close can he get them to the trophy?
It’s a long shot for Bangladesh, as they take on one of the mightiest teams in the draw, but in the wake of India’s defeat to England at Edgbaston, this is a clash that Mashrafe Mortaza’s men must believe they can win as they attempt to keep up the pressure for a semifinal berth. In Shakib Al Hasan, Bangladesh possesses the standout player of the tournament, a man in immense form with bat and ball, and though they’ve lost three of their six matches, they’ve been outclassed just the once, by England at Cardiff. India, however, has the brilliant Jasprit Bumrah, one of the finest death bowlers in the tournament, not to mention the batting class of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. They will be strong favorites, but their middle order has not impressed on the rare occasions it has been exposed, and Bangladesh has four players who featured in their shock World Cup win over India way back in 2007.
Win Predictor: India 84 percent, Bangladesh 16 percent
England vs. New Zealand
Wednesday, July 3, 5:30 a.m.
0:38
The England captain hopes county cricket gets more support in the future
The No. 1 seeds came through their stiffest test of the tournament on Sunday, overwhelming India at Edgbaston to keep their semifinal hopes alive. Though they still need another win in their final round-robin fixture to guarantee their progression. England will go into that clash against New Zealand with renewed confidence, having relocated the batting firepower — through Jonny Bairstow’s feisty hundred, and classy fifties from Ben Stokes and the returning Jason Roy — that had made them favorites in the first place. New Zealand, meanwhile, is suffering an untimely dip in form — back-to-back losses against Pakistan and Australia have left them scrambling for the last four after a strong start. And though New Zealand’s bowlers remain formidable (Trent Boult claimed a hat-trick against Australia), their batting has been carried throughout by their captain Kane Williamson.
Win predictor: England 69 percent, New Zealand 31 percent
Pakistan vs. Bangladesh
Friday, July 5, 5:30 a.m.
The cornered tigers are roaring, but have they left their charge too late? The parallels with Pakistan’s late surge to the 1992 World Cup victory have been uncanny, but they needed India to do them a favor against England to take their destiny into their own hands. Now Pakistan’s task will be determined by how New Zealand gets on against England at Durham. If New Zealand wins, then a straight victory will suffice. If England wins, however, all eyes will be on net run rate — with Pakistan needing to win within a certain number of deliveries to edge through at New Zealand’s expense, also on 11 points but with a quicker overall rate throughout the group stages. And, if Bangladesh can get one over India on Tuesday, the same criteria would apply to them too, making this arguably the most high-stakes matchup in the tournament so far, a de facto quarterfinal. Pakistan will be favorites, following a three-match winning streak (against South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan), and with in-form batsmen like Babar Azam and Haris Sohail, but Bangladesh has impressed throughout.
Win predictor: Pakistan 67 percent, Bangladesh 33 percent
Credit: Source link