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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Sport
Sakshi Gupta

Cricket World Cup points table: Why are India above South Africa and Australia

AP Photo/Bikas Das

India finished the group stage of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 at the top of the table with 18 points from nine games.

Team India, the only unbeaten side in the World Cup, finished four points ahead of the second-placed South Africa. With seven wins and two losses, Australia also have the same points as the Proteas but are in third place because of a lower net run rate.

New Zealand defeated Sri Lanka by five wickets on 9 November and secured the final spot in the knockout stage. The Black Caps, with 10 points from nine matches, beat Pakistan in the race to the semi-finals of World Cup 2023 by two points.

Rohit Sharma-led India are set to take on New Zealand in the first semi-final of World Cup 2023 on 15 November at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, while Australia and South Africa will face off in the second semi-final on 16 November at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

Pakistan and Afghanistan, in fifth and sixth spots on the table, lost their final group game respectively and finished with eight points each.

England, the defending champions, were the first side to get eliminated from World Cup 2023. However, by winning their final two fixtures in the group stage, finished the tournament in seventh spot and therefore clinched a place in next year’s ICC Champions Trophy.

Sri Lanka ended their World Cup 2023 campaign by losing two consecutive games, against Bangladesh and New Zealand. The Sri Lankans finished in the ninth spot, one below Bangladesh.

The Netherlands, the only associate side to have competed in this World Cup, finished at the bottom of the table with two wins from nine matches.

England were officially knocked out on Saturday after they suffered a 33-run loss to Australia at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium, which marked their fifth consecutive defeat in the ongoing World Cup. English skipper Jos Buttler took the blame for the team’s World Cup knockout during the post-match conference.

“My own form has been the biggest concern. To have not played as well as I can. My own performances with the bat have really hurt us. I have a pivotal position in the side. So to perform as poorly as I have done has had a big impact on the team,” Buttler told reporters.

Buttler called England’s elimination a “low point as a captain” during a post-match interview soon after England’s World Cup exit.

“A low point as a captain, you stand in this position, you came to India with high hopes and expectations, we haven’t done ourselves any justice, everyone knows how much hard work we’ve put, and these losses weigh high on our shoulders,” said Buttler.

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