Cricket World Cup so far

The competition is well underway, and the action has been enthralling so far.

The 2023 Cricket World Cup got underway on Thursday, 5th October. England are the reigning World Champions, having won the World Cup on 14th July 2019 against New Zealand. It was an enthralling game that was level at the end of the match, with both teams having 241 runs each after 50 overs; this meant that a super over was played to try and find the winner.

In what was an extraordinary game, the two teams remained level come the end of the super over, which meant that victory was given to England as a result of them having scored more boundaries with 26 compared to New Zealand’s 17. This was England’s maiden World Cup triumph, and it won them a trophy that they hope to retain in 2023.

The action at the 2023 World Cup got underway with the first of 48 ODIs that saw England and New Zealand go head to head at the Narendra Modi Stadium based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. The opener ended in a New Zealand victory by a margin of 9 wickets with 82 balls remaining. It was not the best start for the holders, but there was still plenty of time for recovery.

Pakistan’s game against the Netherlands was the game to follow, and it saw Pakistan secure a comfortable win, beating their Dutch counterparts by 81 runs in the end. Two matches were played on 7th October – Afghanistan v Bangladesh and South Africa v Sri Lanka.

The first, played between Afghanistan and Bangladesh, was a tight contest, and after the action had come to a close, it was Bangladesh who had edged the match as winners by just 6 wickets. South Africa were then emphatic winners, beating Sri Lanka by no less than 102 runs.

5-time Champions Australia then came face to face with hosts and 1 time Champions India a day later, and after yet another tense and enthralling match, the hosts won by a margin of 6 runs in the end.

The second round of fixtures began with New Zealand’s ODI against the Netherlands on 9th October at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. It saw a second win in as many matches at this World Cup for New Zealand, whilst the Dutch had now suffered successive defeats after they were beaten by 99 runs.

England avoided that fate the day after in their game against Bangladesh. They were emphatic winners, ending the game with a winning margin of no less than 137 runs. England’s campaign was now back on track, and they were hoping for another win in their next World Cup ODI. First, though, several matches took place before England’s next game against Afghanistan.

Later that same day, two one-time World Champions came face to face when Sri Lanka and Pakistan went head to head. It was to be Pakistan who would just about edge a tense contest to secure a second win in as many games, beating Sri Lanka by just 6 wickets.

India took on Afghanistan in their second game of the 2023 World Cup on 11th October at the Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium. It was to be the hosts who would come away from this contest victorious after winning by a margin of 8 wickets with 90 balls remaining.

South Africa and Australia had both won their first matches and came face to face on 12th October. Just as they had in their opening game against Sri Lanka, South Africa were emphatic winners, this time by no less than 134 runs.

The 11th One Day International of the 2023 World Cup saw Bangladesh take on New Zealand in their third match of the tournament at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. New Zealand prevented Bangladesh from securing their second win after emerging from the game between these two nations with an 8 wicket victory.

Last Saturday (14th) saw Pakistan and India come face to face in their third matches of the World Cup. After yet another day of exciting and enthralling action, it was to be India who would be victorious, beating Pakistan by 7 wickets.

Sunday, 15th October saw the biggest shock result of the 2023 World Cup so far take place in a match between Afghanistan and England. Even though they were favourites, England were defeated by a margin of 69 runs by Afghanistan in what is a big blow to their chances of retaining the World Cup title.

The latest match to be completed was Sri Lanka against Australia on Monday. 5 time World Champions Australia finally got their first win of the tournament, winning the ODI by 5 wickets with 88 balls remaining.

The clash between the Netherlands and South Africa is the only World Cup match on Tuesday. As of the time of writing, the current standings are as follows.

After three wins from three, hosts India and New Zealand sit joint top with 6 points, followed by South Africa and Pakistan, who round off the top four with four points each. England sits just outside of the top four in fifth place thanks to their net run rate. They, alongside Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Australia have 2 points. Sri Lanka and Australia are joint bottom with 0 points to their names, with no victories recorded by either nation just yet.

If South Africa wins on Tuesday, they will leapfrog New Zealand and India and find themselves on 6 points, level with New Zealand and India. As for the Netherlands, if they secure their maiden victory, they will climb up the table to at least 9th place. Depending on their net run rate following this win, they could rise as high as fifth.

The remaining games of the 2023 Cricket World Cup are set to be enthralling, and as for England, they have 6 matches to try and get themselves into the top four and through to the semi-final stage.

Their remaining fixtures in the group stage are as follows:

–         England v South Africa (Saturday 21st October – 09:30 start)

–         England v Sri Lanka (Thursday 26th October – 09:30 start)

–         India v England (Sunday 29th October – 08:30 start)

–         England v Australia (Saturday 4th November – 08:30 start)

–         England v Netherlands (Wednesday 8th November – 08:30 start)

–         England v Pakistan (Saturday 11th November – 08:30 start)

There is no better way to enjoy world-class cricket than with an Eventmasters VIP Hospitality Package. Book now to avoid disappointment.