At last, England could see their team win. At MCA Stadium, Pune, they defeated the Netherlands by 160 runs. Owing to 108 runs by Ben Stokes, England amassed 339/9. David Malan was second with 87 runs. England, with defeats by Afghanistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, India, and Australia in the ongoing competition, had lost 5 successive World Cup matches for the first time. So today, when they won, they got the 7th position. Thus, they qualified for the Champions Trophy to be played in Pakistan in 2025.
An unbeaten knock of 104 by G. Hick at Peshawar on February 22, 1996, was the only World Cup hundred by England versus the Netherlands. That record was broken by a hundred by Ben Stokes. England is in the No. 7 position now due to their better NRR (Net Run Rate).
Meanwhile, as India, Australia, and South Africa have already qualified for the Semifinals, there is a race for the fourth position. New Zealand, Pakistan, and Afghanistan have 8 points each. Tomorrow, New Zealand faces Sri Lanka. If they win that match, they will be better placed for a semifinal place. Afghanistan meets South Africa on November 10. If they win, they will also be in the race for the fourth slot. Pakistan’s last league match is with England on November 11. If Pakistan wins, they will also be in the race for the fourth slot. Thus, only by November 11, will we come to know whom India is going to have a match in the first semifinal to be played on November 13.
The second semifinal will be between South Africa and Australia as they are in second and third position. This match will be played on November 16, 2023. But the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) is Glenn Maxwell, according to Harsh Bhosale, as he single-handedly won the match against Afghanistan on a Super Tuesday. So the fun continues up to the finals to be played at Ahmedabad on Sunday, November 19, 2023.
