ODI World Cup 2023 Semifinals Race: How England Can Still Qualify for Knockouts After Losing to India

Even after their massive 100-run defeat to India, defending champions England still have a chance of reaching the semifinals of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023. The catch is, that Jos Buttler and Co. do not have the luxury of having their fate in their own hands any more. The 2019 World Cup holders will have to rely on results elsewhere to have a slender chance of sneaking into the knockouts.

Mathematically, England can still make it into the top four, but it will take a lot of things to turn in their favour, which would be a big ask in a competition like the World Cup.

After their fifth defeat in the tournament, England are on the verge of elimination but have a slight glimmer of hope. With just two points on the points table and three matches to go, Jos Buttler’s side can reach a maximum of eight points.

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India and South Africa already have 12 and 10 points respectively, whereas New Zealand and Australia are currently tied on 8 points each. The English side would need to win all of their remaining World Cup games against Pakistan, Australia, and the Netherlands and will hope that they win by big margins so that their Net Run Rate (NRR) can come into play.

Furthermore, they need to hope that Australia and New Zealand both lose all of their remaining matches, if the two aforementioned sides win even a point, England’s hopes of reaching the semifinals of the World Cup will be dashed.

For their miraculous knockout hopes to remain alive, England will also want Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Netherlands and Afghanistan to not win more than two matches each, as the four teams are all currently locked on four points each.

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In such a scenario, multiple teams will finish on eight points but England will hope that their NRR is better than either Australia or New Zealand to take them into the top four.

It’s a lot to ask for and nothing short of a miracle will be needed for the defending champions to stay alive in the tournament beyond the group stage.