We are into the halfway mark of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 (CWC 2023)and almost every team has played their five games in the round-robin stage. Some records have also been broken till now in the tournament’s history. And we have seen some amazing performances from the teams. But two of the arch-rivals, England and Australia have had an unusual start to their ICC ODI World Cup 2023 campaign. And today, we will predict if either both or one of the teams could reach the semi-finals of the tournament or not. So let’s start.
England Struggling In The Cricket World Cup 2023
The CWC 2019 world champions, England didn’t have a very good start to the Cricket World Cup 2023 campaign. They have lost three games out of four they played so far. England’s team balance is not clicking at the moment and they are still looking for the right combination in the tournament. And the middle of the tournament is not the right time to find a perfect combination.
Batting Not Clicking for England
As we all know England, they go hard to the opposition bowlers right from the word go. They have been playing this brand of cricket for a while now and had some success in the past as well. But right now, in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023, they somehow found themselves wanting. Their approach isn’t working at the moment. No batter has consistently scored runs in this WC 2023. They will need to look into it before it is too late.
Bowling – A Bit of A Concern as well
Not just batting, England’s bowling also looks toothless in the tournament. They didn’t have a bowler whom they could trust to pick wickets. You can also see in their bowling that they didn’t know where the next wicket came from.
In the first game, they failed to defend 282 and New Zealand won the game in just 36.2 overs with 9 wickets left. One of the games they lost also includes against Afghanistan. Afghanistan scored 284 in the first inning and then restricted England to just 215.
England conceded 399 against South Africa and then didn’t even come close to the target, losing the game by 229 runs. Their only win came against Bangladesh.
CWC 2023: What next for England?
Now, England needs to win at least 4 games out of the remaining 5 to be in contention for the top 4. Also, they need to have a look at the net run rate of themselves and the other teams.
If they win 5 out of 5 games, then they might go straight into the CWC 2023 semifinals without depending on anyone. Although the miracle happened in cricket. And teams came back from behind as well. But looking at the way England are playing, the chances of them going into the semifinals look bleak.
Australia has found the right track
The five-time ODI WC champion didn’t start off well in this ICC ODI World Cup 2023. They lost their first two games against big teams like India and South Africa. After a long time, Australia has lost their first two games in the ODI WC history.
But, Australia knows how to make a comeback on a big stage like World Cup. They have been there and done it before as well. Australia has now won three back-to-back games against Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and the Netherlands.
CWC 2023: Australia’s Looking for the Top 4 Spot & Back At Its Best
Australia’s batting has started to do well in the last three games. A few batters have contributed big in the last three games, including David Warner, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, etc.
Coming to their bowling, it has always been their strength. With the trio of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazelwood, and Pat Cummins, they have covered all the bases in their pace attack. And to compliment the pacers, they have Adam Zampa, who is a leading wicket-taker in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 till now.
Net Run Rate will play a vital part in securing the top 4 positions this CWC 2023. Australia is just 2 wins away from securing the top 4 spots, as the Net Run Rate remains solid with the upcoming matches.
Who will make it to the semifinals? Australia? England? Both? Or none of them?
Australia knows how to do well on big stages. They are five times World Champions and will be eager to push hard for the sixth one. Their remaining games will be against New Zealand, England, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh. And they need at least three wins to lock their place for the CWC 2023 semifinals. Looking at Australia, we think that they will make it to the semis of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023.
As far as England is concerned, their chances are looking bleak, to be honest. Their remaining games will be against Sri Lanka, India, Australia, Netherlands, and Pakistan. So they have three big names left including India, Pakistan, and Australia. And you can’t take the other two teams lightly. If they lose two of their remaining games, it will be a bag pack for the defending champions.
Conclusion
So these are some scenarios we have discussed. What do you think? Which four teams will make it to the top 4 of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023? Give us your predictions below in the comment section.
