Bairstow and Roy send England to the semis

CRICKET WORLD CUP

TEAM-BY-TEAM REVIEW

1 INDIA W 7 L 1 NR 1 NRR 0.809 Points 15

Coach Ravi Shastri (since July 2017)

Most runs Rohit Sharma (647)
Most wickets Jasprit Bumrah (17)

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Group winners India made light work of the opening phase and, in the latter part of last month, regained their position at the top of the rankings. As such, it is no surprise that it is now India - and not England - who have now been installed as favourites for this World Cup. Predictably, the key to the Indians' success has been their rock-solid top three which easily overcame the tournament-ending thumb injury to Shikhar Dhawan who, nevertheless, had already registered a match-winning century against Australia. Altogether, Indian players scored seven centuries in their nine group stage matches - with a World Cup record of five compiled by the prolific Rohit Sharma alone. Opener Sharma is unsurprisingly the top scorer at this World Cup so far with 647 runs at an eye-watering average of 92.42 and it would be fair to say he has outshone even Virat Kohli who holds a still-highly respectable best score of 82 and average of 63.14. The frontline bowlers too have made an impact - Jasprit Bumrah has taken 17 wickets at a cost of just 19.52 each and Mohammed Shami has produced some fine demonstrations of exactly how to bowl against the tail at the death. And so, everything considered, it is frankly very difficult to see a suddenly woefully out-of-form New Zealand getting anywhere near to India in their match which, weather-permitting, is due to be played at Old Trafford tomorrow. Of course, the group match between the teams at Trent Bridge was itself a washout - but even a repeat of that rather undesirable outcome would still be enough to take India to a fourth World Cup Final. 

2 AUSTRALIA W 7 L 2 NR 0 NRR 0.868 Points 14

Coach Justin Langer (since May 2018)

Most runs David Warner (638)
Most wickets Mitchell Starc (26)

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Five-time winners Australia were the first team to qualify for the semi finals all the way back on 25 June after beating England at Lord's - and their long wait for another truly meaningful game perhaps provides the reason why the Aussies took their eye off the ball against South Africa on Saturday, though only just by 10 runs. It is nevertheless a potentially costly defeat as it meant India unseated the Baggy Greens at the top of the table on the last day of the group phase. Australia now face a reinvigorated England in the semi finals on Thursday instead of a New Zealand team which seems to have completely lost its way. Meanwhile, the initial Aussie squad has also suffered from several injuries with Mitchell Marsh, Peter Handscomb and Matthew Wade called up to replace the stricken Marcus Stoinis, Shaun Marsh and Usman Khawaja respectively. Unsurprisingly, off-spinner Nathan Lyon has started the mind-games early by declaring England to be the favourites for the match - but really that would only clearly be the case if the injuries had been suffered by one of the openers or Mitchell Starc. Rather predictably, all three players have been the figureheads of this Aussie campaign - opening pair David Warner (638) and skipper Aaron Finch (507) are in second and fourth place in the run-scorers list, while Starc - with 26 wickets so far - needs just one more to have taken the most by a player at a single World Cup. Forget the defeat on Saturday then - knowing how to win a Cricket World Cup is part of the Australian DNA and this set of players is just as fearsome as their predecessors in the gold and green. 

3 ENGLAND W 6 L 3 NR 0 NRR 1.152 Points 12

Coach Trevor Bayliss (since May 2015)

Most runs Joe Root (500)
Most wickets Jofra Archer (17)

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England captain Eoin Morgan was compelled to resort to cliché when asked to describe his side's performance during the group phase - but, in fairness to him, he could not really be faulted for referring to the last few weeks as like being on a rollercoaster. It had all looked rather more straightforward at the halfway stage, at which point a high-scoring defeat to Pakistan had been the only blip. Ben Stokes had taken an iconic catch in the opening game on the first day of the tournament against South Africa - while Morgan himself now holds the record for the most sixes in a single One-Day International after clearing the rope on 17 occasions against Afghanistan. But, when a shock defeat to Sri Lanka at Headingley was followed up by a worryingly facile reverse against Australia at Lord's, England hopes of a first semi final since 1992 were suddenly hanging by the thinnest of threads. Indeed, the wheels threatened to come off altogether when opener Jonny Bairstow became involved in a spat on social media with former captain Michael Vaughan. Bairstow claimed that he felt there were some observers who were just waiting for the team to fail - but, having finally been reunited with his previously hamstrung opening partner Jason Roy, the Yorkshireman blossomed with back-to-back centuries against India and New Zealand. 
True, matters were never quite out of the hands of the hosts - but, following their wobble, few people were expecting successive victories against two sides who England had failed to beat at a World Cup for 27 years. Certainly, the successes of the past week or so have gone a long way to restoring confidence to a team which, after all, came into the tournament ranked as the world number one. Bairstow looks far more comfortable at the top of the order with Roy instead of the far looser James Vince while Liam Plunkett has sensibly been restored to provide some threat in the middle overs with the ball. A note of caution, however, in that it should be noted that Morgan won both tosses in the last two games and opted to bat first with England having failed to chase on three separate occasions - and, of course, the coin will not always land in the hosts' favour.

4 NEW ZEALAND W 5 L 3 NR 1 NRR 0.175 Points 11

Coach Gary Stead (since August 2018)

Most runs Kane Williamson (481)
Most wickets Lockie Ferguson (17)

CWC19 results WWWXWWLLL

There or thereabouts, always there or thereabouts. New Zealand qualified for a fifth semi final in the last six World Cups and their eighth overall on the back of pretty typical results in which they beat the teams they would expect to beat and lost against or did not play some of the tougher opponents. Certainly now, though, the five successive wins either side of the washout against India at the start of the tournament feel an age away following three consecutive heavy defeats to Pakistan, Australia, and England. Meanwhile, some of the Black Caps' victories were far less comprehensive - Bangladesh were beaten by two wickets in the 48th over, South Africa were beaten in the 49th over and West Indies were beaten with an over to spare by just five runs. Undoubtedly then, New Zealand are comfortably the weakest of the four remaining teams with the ongoing struggles of openers Martin Guptill and Colin Munro exemplified by the ease with which the openers from the other three semi finalists are racking up the runs. On a more positive note, skipper and top scorer Kane Williamson has already shown in this tournament against South Africa that he is a genuine match winner, while a bowling attack boosted by the emergence of Lockie Ferguson alongside Trent Boult has enabled New Zealand to chase successfully on four occasions despite it having been far from the preferred option of any of the teams throughout the competition.

5 PAKISTAN W 5 L 3 NR 1 NRR -0.430 Points 11

Coach Mickey Arthur (since May 2016)

Most runs Babar Azam (474)
Most wickets Mohammad Amir (17)

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Pakistan will feel hard-done by after reacting to their customary World Cup defeat to India by winning their last four matches, thereby drawing level with New Zealand on 11 points. Indeed, the Falcons beat the Black Caps, winning by six wickets on the back of a Babar Azam century, and also triumphed against South Africa, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh in their late surge. Earlier in the piece, Pakistan had shocked hosts England in a high-scoring thriller at Trent Bridge - and the campaign spookily mirrored the order of their results in 1992, an edition of the World Cup in which Imran Khan's Cornered Tigers were ultimately victorious. This time, however, the Pakistanis' late run was not enough - although elimination on net run-rate has proven controversial among the more paranoid Pakistan supporters - and even coach Mickey Arthur - who pointed out they would have progressed instead of New Zealand if their head-to-head record had been the tiebreaker. The rules, though, were clear before the start of the tournament - and so Pakistan only have themselves to blame for being ambushed so badly in their first game against a West Indies team which eventually finished ninth and for later chasing so timidly against rock-bottom Afghanistan. At least, Pakistan can still leave their long stay in England with several positives - in particular, youngsters Babar and Imam ul-Haq have shown plenty of promise at the top of the order while teenager Shaheen Afridi looks as if he could forge a fearsome strike partnership with the rehabilitated Mohammad Amir.

6 SRI LANKA W 3 L 4 NR 2 NRR -0.919 Points 8

Coach Chandika Hathurusingha (since December 2017)

Most runs Kusal Perera (273)
Most wickets Lasith Malinga (13)

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Like the girl with the curl right in the middle of her forehead, Sri Lanka were very good when they were good - but, when they were bad, they were horrid. For all their complaints about bowler-friendly pitches, poor facilities and accommodation, and a cramped team bus, the Lions actually performed better than expected for their midtable finish. However, they are also the classic definition of a team in transition. From their magnificent 20-run win over hosts and pre-tournament favourites England, the Sri Lankans - in their next game just seven days later - were comprehensively beaten by already-eliminated South Africa. Of course, still more changes are set to follow with star performer Lasith Malinga due to join the likes of Muttiah Muralitharan, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Rangana Herath in retirement. Nevertheless, the rest of this team has done enough to put to bed a selection policy which has, in recent times, resembled a wildly-spinning revolving door. An exception, though, can surely be made for Niroshan Dickwella who showed his credentials on an 'A'-team tour of India played at the exact same time as he should have been in this squad. 

7 SOUTH AFRICA W 3 L 5 NR 1 NRR -0.030 Points 7

Coach Ottis Gibson (since August 2017)

Most runs Faf du Plessis (387)
Most wickets Chris Morris (13)

CWC19 results LLLXWLLWW

South Africa headed to the World Cup in third place in the rankings but endured the sort of campaign which, in time, will no doubt produce a series of eye-opening accounts in the chapters of the autobiographies of some of these players. In fairness, the Proteas were given a tough fixtures draw with hosts England in their opening match and powerhouses India in their third game. But defeat to Bangladesh in between and a washout in the fourth fixture against West Indies effectively left South Africa needing to win all of their remaining matches from then on. Certainly, their cause was not helped when a flare-up of a long-standing shoulder injury to strike bowler Dale Steyn ruled him out of the tournament without him having made a single appearance. Meanwhile, fellow fast-bowler Lungi Ngidi struggled early on with a hamstring strain and opener Hashim Amla looked a shadow of his former self with the bat. But, just as it looked as if Ottis Gibson's men were heading out limply and not in their usual tragicomic manner, South Africa became involved in the best tussle of the tournament against New Zealand. As ever, the Proteas should have won but did not - as they failed to review a not-given caught-behind against Kane Williamson which he had hit with the toe-end of the bat. Kiwi skipper Williamson went on to make a match-winning unbeaten 106 as the Black Caps scrambled to victory with three balls to spare - and so, South Africa were mathematically out with three matches to spare. With the pressure off, the South Africans belatedly showed their worth by strolling to a nine-wicket win over Sri Lanka at Chester-le-Street before narrowly defending a score of 325 against Australia at Old Trafford. In the latter, skipper Faf du Plessis scored the only century by a South African at this World Cup while Rassie van der Dussen grafted hard for his 95. Altogether, though, it was much too little, too late. 

8 BANGLADESH W 3 L 5 NR 1 NRR -0.410 Points 7

Coach Steve Rhodes (since June 2018)

Most runs Shakib Al Hasan (606)
Most wickets Mustafizur Rahman (20)

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Only three men have scored more than 600 runs at this World Cup and only eight men have taken a five-for - but only one player is on both of those lists: Shakib Al Hasan of Bangladesh. Certainly then Shakib has enhanced his standing as one of the world's best all-rounders - and he was also backed up effectively by his skipper Mustafizur Rahman who took two five-fors himself against India and Pakistan in a haul of 20 wickets. This is a total bettered only by Mitchell Starc - yet there was precious little else from the Tigers at this tournament - and the win for South Africa over Australia in the last group match consigned the Bangladeshis to a place in the bottom three. Undoubtedly, Bangladesh can expect to be more competitive at the next World Cup in 2023 which, on Asian soil, will play to their strengths - but, regardless, they will need altogether far greater depth than they have currently to put up a more serious challenge than this for a place in the top four. 

9 WEST INDIES W 2 L 6 NR 1 NRR -0.225 Points 5

Coach Floyd Reifer (since April 2019)

Most runs Nicholas Pooran (367)
Most wickets Sheldon Cottrell (12)

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It was difficult to know what to make of West Indies in the run-up to the World Cup and it is still difficult to know what to make of them now. First, of course, it must be remembered that the Windies had been - somewhat humiliatingly - forced to qualify for a tournament which they had dominated in its embryonic years - and yet, just before this campaign, Jason Holder's men deservedly drew 2-2 against the then-world number one team England. At the World Cup itself, West Indies simply could not have started any better as they bowled Pakistan out for 105 and won by seven wickets in their first game. However, six consecutive defeats either side of a washout against South Africa left West Indies without any sort of chance of a respectable place in the group phase. The narrow win in the last match against rock-bottom Afghanistan will be considered as little more than the most minor consolation for the men from the Caribbean - although things would have definitely looked rosier if West Indies had got over the line against in similarly tight finishes against either or both of Australia and New Zealand. Still, the fact they did not take either match rather belied a lack of confidence which comes from winning games so rarely - and recently-appointed coach Floyd Reifer has much work to do to rebuild this in the wake of this ninth-placed finish and the impending retirement of talisman Chris Gayle.

10 AFGHANISTAN W 0 L 9 NR 0 NRR -1.322 Points 0

Coach Phil Simmons (since December 2017)

Most runs Rahmat Shah (254)
Most wickets Mohammad Nabi (10)

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Played nine, lost nine - it is hardly an unsurprising result for Afghanistan considering they were facing all of the teams currently ranked above them. Indeed, the outsiders went close against some of their more illustrious opponents, losing to India by just 11 runs before pushing Pakistan into the last over in one of the most remarkable matches of the World Cup. At the same time, though, it is equally true that the Afghans failed to maximise their chances due to some horrific decision-making, both before and during the tournament. In the run-up, Asghar Afghan was sacked as captain and replaced by Gulbadin Naib and then, just two matches into the campaign, the best player in the team - Mohammad Shahzad - was sent home, accused of being unfit. New captain Gulbadin took it upon himself to be a jack of all trades and master of none as he opened the batting and took on some of the most important overs with the ball, not least against Pakistan. However, nothing summed up his World Cup more than him ducking out of the way of a catch in the final group game against West Indies. At least, during that match, there was a spirited 86 from teenage wicketkeeper Ikram Alikhil, the best score by any Afghani player in the tournament. Afghanistan have now reached a critical juncture in their development as a team - and, to compete at the top level, they need better selection from their administrators which brings through more of the likes of Ikram and surely less of Gulbadin.