How can England still qualify for semi-final after loss against South Africa?

England cricket team suffered a humiliating loss against South Africa in World Cup 2023 match at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Saturday. Chasing a mammoth 400, the Jos Buttler-led side got bundled out for a mere 170 in 22 overs. The defending champions now face a tough task in order to qualify for the World Cup semifinals.

The defeat not only dented team’s morale, but also gave a big jolt to their Net Run Rate (NRR), which is down to -1.248. The side now is languishing at the ninth place in World Cup 2023 points table with 5 more matches to go.

Also Read

• World Cup 2023 Squads
• World Cup Jerseys of all 10 teams
• World Cup 2023 Points Table
• Most Runs in WC 2023
• Most Wickets in WC 2023

How can England still make it to World Cup semi-final?

While it will be an uphill task, the defending champions still have a realistic chance of getting through to
the top four.

England’s next five remaining matches will be a do or die as they can’t afford to lose a match. Assuming they win all 5 remaining games, the team would reach 12 points, which should be enough for them to qualify provided their poor NRR is improved as well.

England’s next 5 matches are against Sri Lanka, India, Australia, Netherlands, and Pakistan. The team can take a chance on improving their NRR with matches against Sri Lanka and Netherlands.

England will next face India on October 29 in Lucknow.

England Squad: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, David Willey, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes.

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