It has got a whole lot more difficult for England to reach the World Cup semi-finals.
Eoin Morgan’s side fell to a crushing defeat against Australia at Lord’s, their third loss of the group stage.
England, who were the pre-tournament favourites, now have two matches remaining and must win both – against the tournament’s only two unbeaten teams, India and New Zealand – to guarantee qualification.
They stay fourth in the table, with the top four teams progressing, but can be overtaken by Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
Pakistan have a crucial game against New Zealand on Wednesday and will probably have to win to stay in the hunt.
It is better news for Australia fans. They are the first team to book a semi-final spot.
| World Cup group table | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Team | P | W | L | T | NR | RR | Pts |
| 1 | Australia | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.906 | 12 |
| 2 | New Zealand | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1.306 | 11 |
| 3 | India | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.809 | 9 |
| 4 | England | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1.051 | 8 |
| 5 | Bangladesh | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | -0.133 | 7 |
| 6 | Sri Lanka | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | -1.119 | 6 |
| 7 | Pakistan | 6 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | -1.265 | 5 |
| 8 | West Indies | 6 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0.190 | 3 |
| 9 | South Africa | 7 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | -0.324 | 3 |
| 10 | Afghanistan | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | -1.634 | 0 |
The remaining fixtures
England: India, New Zealand.
Sri Lanka: South Africa, West Indies, India.
Bangladesh: India, Pakistan.
Pakistan: New Zealand, Afghanistan, Bangladesh.
No home advantage?
England would expect to have home advantage in this tournament, which is taking place in the UK, but the venues of their final two matches could harm their chances of progression rather than help them.
Their next match in against India at Edgbaston where the pitch arguably favours Virat Kohli’s side due to its slow, spinning nature.
England then travel to Chester-le-Street to play New Zealand, a ground typically suited to swing and seam bowling – a major strength of the Black Caps.
