ICC World Cup 2019 : Thrilling race for semi spots on cards

England's fluctuating form has been the subject of much debate across the cricket world

London, July 1: The battle for semifinal berths at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 will go down to the wire in a thrilling final week full of permutations and possibilities.

Defending champions Australia are the only nation who have secured their spot in the last four, while only a crazy set of results would prevent India from joining them in the knockout stages.

But the battle between New Zealand, England, Pakistan and Bangladesh for the last two semi-final places is well and truly alive, Eoin Morgan's side breathing life into their campaign with a 31-run win over India on Sunday.

WC Special | Schedule | Points Table

England's fluctuating form has been the subject of much debate across the cricket world and they need to beat third-placed New Zealand to guarantee their progression in the tournament. If England lose, they will rely on Bangladesh beating Pakistan on Friday.

New Zealand could still miss the top four, if they lose to England and other results go against them, while Bangladesh need to win both fixtures - against India and Pakistan - to stay alive.

FIXTURES

Monday 1 July: Sri Lanka v West Indies (The Riverside) - 1030 BST start

Tuesday 2 July: Bangladesh v India (Edgbaston) - 1030

Wednesday 3 July: England v New Zealand (The Riverside) - 1030

Thursday 4 July: Afghanistan v West Indies (Headingley) - 1030

Friday 5 July: Bangladesh v Pakistan (Lord's) - 1030

Saturday 6 July: Sri Lanka v India (Headingley) – 1030, Australia v South Africa (Old Trafford) - 1330

THE WEEK'S BIG GAME

Having produced in what was essentially a must-win game against India, all eyes will be on pre-tournament favourites England on Wednesday.

The stakes will again be very high and New Zealand have recent history on their side, having won their past five World Cup meetings against England.

The Black Caps demolished England by eight wickets with more than 37 overs remaining at the 2015 World Cup. England will need Jonny Bairstow to fire again with the bat against an impressive New Zealand attack.

STANDINGS

1. Australia - 14pts from 8 games, Net Run Rate +1.000 2. India - 11pts from 7 games, NRR +0.854 3. New Zealand - 11pts from 8 games, NRR +0.572 4. England - 10pts from 8 games, NRR +1.000 5. Pakistan - 9pts from 8 games, NRR -0.792 6. Bangladesh - 7pts from 7 games, NRR -0.133 7. Sri Lanka - 6pts from 7 games, NRR -1.186 8. South Africa - 5pts from 8 games, NRR -0.080 9. West Indies - 3pts from 7 games, NRR -0.320 10. Afghanistan - 0pts from 8 games, NRR -1.418

LEADING RUN-SCORERS

1: David Warner (Aus) - 516 2: Aaron Finch (Aus) - 504 =3: Shakib Al Hasan (Ban), Joe Root (Eng) - 476

LEADING WICKET-TAKERS

1: Mitchell Starc (Aus) - 24 2: Lockie Ferguson (NZ) - 17 =3: Mohammad Amir (Pak), Jofra Archer (Eng) - 16