How can England qualify for semis after eight-wicket loss to Sri Lanka in 2023 World Cup? 

Defending champions England lost to Sri Lanka by eight wickets at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru to continue their dismal run in the 2023 World Cup. They failed to defend 156 against the Lions on Thursday, October 26. It was England’s fifth consecutive loss against Lanka in the ODI World Cups.

With the loss, the Jos Buttler-led side slipped to ninth place based on Net Run Rate (NRR) in the points table. They have just two points in five games, having managed a solitary win over Bangladesh. They are equal with the Netherlands and Bangladesh, who have two points apiece.

For the unversed, England began the tournament with a nine-wicket loss against New Zealand. They, however, bounced back to beat Bangladesh by 137 runs in their next game. The reigning white-ball champions then lost to Afghanistan and South Africa by 69 and 229 runs, respectively.

Jos Buttler and Co. must win their remaining four league stage games by a good margin to keep themselves in the hunt for a place in the semifinals. England will then have 10 points in nine games. The NRR will come into play if two or more teams have 10 points to qualify for fourth place.

India have already gained 10 points with five consecutive points. Meanwhile, South Africa and New Zealand are on the brink of reaching 10 points, having eight points apiece.

Australia, on the other hand, have also returned to winning ways with three consecutive wins. The five-time World Champions are sitting in fourth spot with six points.

England’s World Cup semifinal qualification scenarios:

• England must win all their remaining four league-stage matches
• Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Afghanistan must lose at least one match apiece. The three teams already have four points in their first five games respectively.

Tough scenarios:

• Australia must lose two of their remaining four matches
• South Africa and New Zealand must lose three of their remaining four matches
• India should lose all their remaining four matches.

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“Incredibly tough” – Jos Buttler reacts to England’s World Cup loss against Sri Lanka

England captain Jos Buttler was disappointed after his side's third consecutive and overall fourth loss in the World Cup. He pointed out that the batting unit has failed to deliver in the marquee ICC tournament. At the post-match show, Buttler said:

“It's incredibly tough. As a captain, you feel that a lot - disappointed with myself and the boys that we've not shown our best. We're playing a long way short of our best. There's a lot of really experienced cricketers in the room. You don't become a bad team overnight. That's the frustration.”

He continued:

“We've been short of our standards. Lots of the dismissals - Root's run out - you don't see that kind of mistakes from us. Haven't been building partnerships. Not doing the basic things well with both bat and ball. Rest of the matches we want to get back to playing good cricket."

England’s remaining World Cup matches

October 29: vs India at Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow at 2 pm IST

November 4: vs Australia at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad at 2 pm IST

November 8: vs Netherlands at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune at 2 pm IST

November 11: vs Pakistan at Eden Gardens in Kolkata at 2 pm IST