Five weeks of cricket and 45 games have seen India, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand as the four who will progress to the semi finals. It had been a last round with promise of tightly fought contests, but after New Zealand’s dominate win and England’s return to form it left the question of who will take fourth and who will qualify for the 2025 Champions Trophy answered relatively early. In the end, there wasn’t a lot to play for as top in-form teams came up against those at the bottom of the table to solidify their places in the final standings.

INDIA – RTS SCORE: 5/5

On track to do what only Australia has done in the past (in 2003 and 2007), India are looking to take the World Cup with a clean sweep, having got through the group stages lossless. It has been an impressive performance from the host nation throughout their nine games, showing that they have not succumbed to the pressure of performing in front of their home crowd, but been buoyed by it. This should bode well for them as they go into the next stage of the competition where losses aren’t an option.

It was a clinical performance against Netherlands to end the group stage 9-0. Coming out to bat first, an option both teams would have taken had they won the toss, India put on an impressive display to rack up a 411 chase for the Netherlands, a team who hadn’t scored over 262 throughout the competition. It had looked shaky in the middle period of their batting innings with the top three falling for half centuries a piece before the 30th over, but the duo of Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul both put on centuries to get the predicted innings score back above 400. It was a hard fought century for Iyer who took his first World Cup tonne, leaving the crease with 128 to his name.

With a record World Cup chase, the chances of Netherlands producing the upset were incredibly low, and although they started their innings well, it quickly began to unravel. Captain Rohit Sharma took the game as an opportunity to rest his full time bowlers, calling on nine of the 11 players to roll their arm over. Debates on whether this was a little disrespectful to the Netherlands team who, albeit on the back foot, were batting well surrounded the second power play, but that didn’t deter Virat Kohli or Sharma himself from getting a ‘1’ in their wicket column, finishing the game 13 balls early. It very likely could have been done earlier, but with a semi final against New Zealand up next – the last time India played New Zealand in such circumstances in 2019 they lost the game by 18 runs – India will have been looking to make sure their best 11 were ready and rested ahead of Wednesday’s game.

SOUTH AFRICA – RTS SCORE: 3/5

Struggling for form with the bat when chasing, South Africa will have been pleased to take victory in what was probably the closest game of round nine. Afghanistan gave it a good knock, but the bowling attack set out by captain Temba Bavuma did what it needed to to restrict the resurgent Afghanistan batters. The Proteas would have likely wanted to go into the semi finals with a bit more confidence than their last few games will have given them. If they want to beat Australia to make it into the final on the 19th November they’re going to have to pull out all of their tricks.

Mindfully, the bowling brilliance of Gerald Coetzee was responsible for a fourfer against Afghanistan. Leading the charge, the wickets fell frequently enough that Afghanistan struggled to put in any long-term partnerships. Only Azmatullah Omarzai managed to stay at the crease for a long period of time, falling just short of becoming the second Afghanistan player to reach 100 when the final over finished with him on 97*. Lungi Ngidi and Keshav Maharaj provided two wickets each, and even though Kagiso Rabada was wicketless, he had a fantastic economy rate of 4 giving just 40 runs off his ten overs.

The reason South Africa do not score higher in this round is, surprisingly, due to their performance with the bat. Of course, the Ahmedabad pitch is not known for insanely high scores, but the 245 chase set by Afghanistan should have been easy pickings for South Africa’s openers. It was testament to the spin and seam bowling from Afghanistan that stopped the Proteas steaming to a fast win, getting the big wickets of Quinton de Kock, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaason and David Miller before any of them hit a half century. Only Rassie van der Dussen’s 76 not out off 95 balls held up the innings to save the semi finalist’s blushes of conceding defeat, only catching the total with 15 balls to spare. The 245 chase is something that, four weeks ago, you would have thought the openers would have batted to with their eyes shut.

AUSTRALIA – RTS SCORE: 5/5

Following the earth-shattering performance of Glenn Maxwell in their penultimate game against Afghanistan which they were set to lose, Australia were determined to make sure that situation didn’t come up again as they played Bangladesh. Thanks to that comeback there was no fear of Australia missing out on the semi finals so their last game became more one of preparation for their second matchup against South Africa.

In contrast to the Ahmedabad ground, the pitch at Pune has much shorter boundaries and a fast out field, making high scores the par score. Bangladesh did well to get into the 300s before their over count was complete, putting a challenging score on the board for the Aussies to catch. On certainly a bat first pitch, the semi finalists had it all to do when the got to the crease, despite the efforts of Adam Zampa and Sean Abbott who took two wickets each.

If Maxwell’s performance against Afghanistan was impressive, the rest of the Australian team certainly wanted to step up to the plate. They displayed a masterclass with the bat, only losing two wickets in the 45 overs it took them to chase down Bangladesh’s total. Credit to Bangladesh, had they managed 20-30 more runs they seriously would have been in contention for their third victory of the championship, but there was nothing they could do to stop Mitchel Marsh’s 177* to take Australia to their seventh consecutive win.

The batting prowess Australia has shown in their resurgence very much lends to this batting focused contest, and coming up against South Africa in their semi final – a team they lost to in the group stages due to their weak performance with the bat where the Proteas reigned supreme – this new found form could make the toss much more important than other games. RTS predicts this one should be a nail biter.

NEW ZEALAND – RTS SCORE: 5/5

After their recent slump in form having three losses on the bounce, New Zealand really needed a good game to get their World Cup campaign back on track and cement their position in the semi finals. Mathematically, it went down to the penultimate game where Pakistan faced England, but with their obliteration of Sri Lanka in their final game New Zealand promoted their net run rate to a position that, even if Pakistan had have beaten England, it would have been incredibly hard for them to overcome.

A score sub 200 in a 50 overs game is not a good one irrelevant of how the pitch is playing. At one point, New Zealand looked as if they were going to bowl Sri Lanka out for a net run rate of 2, almost restricting them below 100 runs at the premature end to their batting innings. Frequent wickets restricted the building of partnerships, and the bowling attack of Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson, Mitchell Santner and Glenn Phillips was too much for the Sri Lankas, only Phillips failing to take a wicket.

Taking less than half their innings to catch the chase, the game was done in 23.2 overs with New Zealand only losing five wickets. None of the batsmen made it to a half century, indicating that it was a bowling friendly wicket, but a 172 chase was never going to be that challenging for the power of the Kiwi batters. The display was clinical and pretty much over before it had started.

It’s been a mixed end to the group stages for New Zealand, who find themselves in the least desired semi final spot; facing India in their first knock out game. They’ll need their batsmen on top form and their bowlers getting fast and regular wickets if they wish to knock the unbeaten host nation off their in-form train as they try and go through the whole contest lossless. It’s going to be a tall order for New Zealand on Wednesday, but they have been in this position before. They came out on top with an eight-run win. Can they do it again?

PAKISTAN – RTS SCORE: 3/5

The required run rate needed after England went into bat first saw Pakistan’s qualification hopes pretty much out of reach, but their chances were slim before the game even started after New Zealand’s competitive victory against Sri Lanka. As the last team with a positive net run rate, it was more about holding onto fifth as they took to the crease to bat second, chasing down England’s impressive 338.

Two weeks earlier, any team would have paid good money to face England, a side that was down on its knees and struggling to find the form that made them a dominant force in the 2019 rendition of the competition, and even earlier this year in ODI tours. However, since being knocked out, the Three Lions have put in a concerted effort – for them they had the fear of not qualifying for the Champions Trophy in 2025 to contend with. Although wickets came frequently for Pakistan in the final power play of their bowling inning, the second phase of the game belonged to Joe Root and Ben Stokes putting on an impressive 132 partnership. Haris Rauf took honours on the Pakistan bowling card with a threefer, his spell in the final power play keeping England’s score below 400 as it was at one point predicted, but it was super star Shaheen Afridi who was responsible for breaking the partnership and dispatching of both Root and Stokes.

Early wickets when they came to bat put Pakistan on the back foot, losing two in the first power play compared to England’s no loss in the same period of their batting innings. It was a good spell from captain Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, but England kept the pressure on with wickets coming frequently enough that the target felt out of reach come the 30th over, Pakistan 145-6. It was the tail end efforts from Afridi, Rauf and Mohammad Wasim Jr. who pulled Pakistan over the 200 mark to lose by less than 100 runs.

Left again rueing what could have been if not for their mid-group stage slump, Pakistan found themselves on the cusp of qualification, just as they did in 2019. The team will need to reevaluate ahead of the Champions Trophy that they will host in 2025 if they are to make the step forward they were hoping for this year to get to the semi finals and beyond in 2027.

AFGHANISTAN – RTS SCORE: 3/5

Afghanistan certainly kept up their impressive performance with bat and ball in their last World Cup game. Although qualification was almost impossible even with a win (having to outscore South Africa by 430 odd runs to close down the run rate deficit) they still came out to play in the same aggressive way they’ve shown since taking their first victory against England. Arguably, they’ve played in such an impressive way they deserved a spot in the knock out rounds, but that isn’t how the World Cup format currently works.

Picking the smart option, Afghanistan chose to bat after winning the toss, knowing South Africa’s weakness is in the chase. The slow-scoring Ahmedabad pitch was always going to be a tough one to get a high score, but the under dogs would have been looking at putting around 280 on the board before the close of their innings. It is possible that too much focus was put on Azmatullah Omarzai trying to become the second Afghanistan cricketer to score a hundred, losing sight of the free-to-play style he had adopted throughout the innings to be the longest batsman standing – coming in at the end of the 24th over and standing until the end. Falling just three short of such an achievement was clearly disappointing for the batsman, but his 97* was one of the few strong scores for the team, pushing them comfortably into the 200s with an innings score of 244.

You’d be forgiven for believing that Afghanistan were going to pick up their fifth win of the competition as they cheaply got the wickets of Temba Bavuma, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaason and David Miller, but the strong opening from Quinton de Kock and subsequent 76* from Rassie van der Dussen were enough to get them over the line with fifteen balls to spare. There was a long period in the second power play where South Africa seemed to have the edge, gaining 50 runs in ten overs with no wickets, but Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi made sure to dispatch of the most destructive players.

There will be an element of what could have been for Afghanistan, coming so close to qualification but falling short at the last. However, their performance throughout the group stages have been enthralling to watch, landing their marker as not just another team to boost numbers in the competition. If this is a sign of things to come, Afghanistan should definitely be on everyone’s radar as they refine their play style and look to come back stronger for the 2025 Champions Trophy.

ENGLAND – RTS SCORE: 4/5

This was, without a doubt, the best game of cricket England played in the World Cup. The Three Lions of old seemed to be back at the crease, choosing to bat first and putting in competitive performances to reach a respectable total for Pakistan to chase. Having such a big win over Netherlands last time out, and Bangladesh and Sri Lanka losing their final games, Champions Trophy qualification was confirmed when they took to the pitch. Perhaps it was the loss of pressure on the team’s shoulders, but it was certainly a joy to see a competitive England once again, even if it was for their last game of the tournament.

England’s biggest weakness in this tournament has been their batting. It hasn’t mattered that they’ve had one of the most destructive line ups seen in cricket, the top and middle orders have not been able to get firing, meaning big wickets have fallen cheaply. In the past two games, it has been Dawid Malan and Ben Stokes who have seemed to be England’s last hope, but coming up against Pakistan it felt like the whole team finally got their eye in. Joe Root, one of the players most under fire for his performance at the crease, was the backbone of a partnership with Stokes that boosted England’s score by 132 runs before either fell. The 60 he put on, along with the 59 from Jonny Bairstow and 27 from captain Jos Buttler showed a much more aggressive approach, especially in Buttler’s case. It can be argued Buttler still gave his wicket easily, and could have had a much bigger impact on the game having been run out on his own call, but there were certainly more positives than negatives at the innings break, something rare to say on the back of England batting in this World Cup.

The form continued with the ball, but bowling has certainly been England’s strength since their match up against India. It was a fitting end to David Willey’s international career, taking a threefer and his 100th ODI wicket for England before he completed his final ten overs. The consistent frequency of wickets for England kept them on top of the game throughout the 93.3 innings, bowling Pakistan all out 93 short of their 338 chase total. Adil Rashid added two more wickets to his World Cup campaign along with Moeen Ali and Gus Atkinson. Chris Woakes ended the tournament he started so poorly bowling 5.3 overs, taking just the one wicket in the game, but it being the all important final one.

There is no shying away from the fact that England have a lot to reflect on with their ODI team ahead of the next major tournament in 2025, and with an ODI series in the West Indies in December, there is perfect opportunity for Buttler, Matthew Mott and Rob Key to put their money where their mouth is and action some of the observations they’ve taken away from the failings of the World Cup. Certainly not the contest the defending champions had been looking for, but at least they ended on a high, showing their home nation that all hope was not lost in a chance at returning to the top in 2027. There is just work to be done.

BANGLADESH – RTS SCORE: 3/5

It can’t be denied the effort Bangladesh put in to try and get their third win of the competition, but the incredible form of the Australian batting line meant an above par score was going to be needed to secure victory. The match gifted their one and only score above 300 of the nine-game group stage, thanks in part to the fast outfield and the short boundaries of the Pune ground. Knowing they were on the edge of Champions Trophy qualification, it was an important game to either win or, if they did lose, make sure the margin of loss wasn’t too high for their net run rate.

Towhid Hridoy was the highlight of the Bangladesh batting innings, taking 74 runs off of 79 before he was run out by Marnus Labuschange. Run outs became a trend for the team, with three of their eight wickets being taken in that manner. Arguably, had the team been smarter between the creases they could have built stronger partnerships that would have put more pressure on Australia when they came to bat in the second half of the game. The momentum looked like it had come back to the Tigers when Taskin Ahmed got the early wicket of Travis Head, stopping the opener on 10, but the game was all but over when Mitch Marsh came out, batting Australia to victory with 111*.

A poor performance from Sri Lanka and two heavy defeats for The Netherlands has helped Bangladesh secure the last Champions Trophy qualification spot. However, if they’re to go far in that contest they will need to take a look at their performances, locate their weaknesses and start rebuilding now because their performances at this World Cup, on the whole, have been relatively average. Yes, we would say here at RTS they deserve the spot, but if they want to make an impact and not just be a filler team then they have work to do.

SRI LANKA – RTS SCORE: 1/5

Another performance to forget for Sri Lanka ended their participation in the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup with a bit of a sour taste and a lot to reflect upon. It wasn’t their heaviest defeat, but a sub 200 score had their run rate under four at the early close of their innings. An improvement when, at one point, they looked like they were going to be bowled out for a low 100 score, but there was nothing to be done to stop another loss being put against their names as New Zealand raced through the chase in under half their allocated overs, only losing five wickets.

New Zealand put out a restrictive and dismissive bowling attack, not letting any of the Sri Lankan players settle at the crease or have the ability to build partnerships. The one shining light with the bat was Kusal Perera, who scored the team’s highest individual score of 51. His wicket in the 10th over, marking five having been lost in the first power play, seemed to signal the demise for Sri Lanka who were looking at another poor batting innings alike the one they suffered against India.

Batting first, it was a valiant effort from the lower order of the Sri Lankan line up to put an additional 100 runs on the board before they were all out for 171, Perera having fallen as fifth wicket with the team’s total at 70. Maheesh Theekshana was the longest standing batsman, facing 91 balls and ending the innings not out, but it’s questionable what the point was of making it to 44.4 overs if you’re not scoring in a limited overs game. His 38* was not what Sri Lanka needed, having spent so long at the crease.

It was good bowling to restrict any of the Kiwis from reaching a half century, but with such a low score to chase and their deep batting depth it didn’t matter to the Black Caps at all. The fall of the first wicket, Devon Conway, came after the end of the first power play with almost half the chase caught and plenty of time to get the job done. Even the cheap dismissal of captain Kane Williamson – 14 off 15 balls – wasn’t enough to put any pressure on New Zealand, requiring just 42 in 31 overs to secure the victory with seven wickets in hand.

The poor performance here against New Zealand and, notably, throughout the contest has seen Sri Lanka miss out on Champions Trophy qualification. It can’t be denied that Sri Lanka have put in some good performances, beating England and Netherlands for their two wins on the board and putting in an impressive showing trying to chase down South Africa’s 428 in their opening game, but having gone winless so deep into the contest and having more batting collapses that any other team, it’s surprising they managed to somehow not finish tenth.

NETHERLANDS – RTS SCORE: 2/5

The Netherlands went into their last game of the competition not expected to win, coming up against the unbeaten and in great form with bat and ball India. Credit must be given to them for their attempts and performance, not conceding to the pressures of the surrounding crowd or the juggernaut they were up against. Although they lost, it was an impressive attempt that, at one point, they looked like they might get on top of to cause the biggest upset of the World Cup and take a win against India.

India did as they have done throughout the competition and came out swinging, playing aggressive shots to get runs on the board whilst the field was contains mainly inside the ring. It had the words ‘whitewash’ already coming out of people’s mouths as Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma did what they do best as the host nation’s opening duo. The tide looked like it might shift, and Netherlands might at least be able to restrict India to a sub par score on the high-scoring Bangalore pitch, when the first three wickets fell for only half centuries. Taking Vihrat Kohli for 51 as the home hero chased down Sachin Tendulkar’s ODI centuries record – leaving India 200-3 in the 29th over – certainly gave the Netherland’s bowling attack hope they could keep them to a high 200, low 300 score at the close of the innings.

Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul, however, weren’t content with that. Adding a century a piece to the India total took the run chase up to 411 at the close, a record World Cup ODI chase and much higher than the best score Netherlands had put in during this competition of 262. They did what they could, Teja Nidamanuru putting in the team’s highest score of 54 off 39 and Sybrand Engelbrecht with the second best score of 45 off 80, but 411 was always going to be a massive ask for the Netherlands against India’s supreme bowling attack. It sat a bit odd with RTS when India worked through nine of their 11 players to roll their arm over, almost a little disrespectful to the Netherlands to not throw their best at them, but with a must-win semi final on the horizon against New Zealand it is understandable why captain Sharma would have wanted to not overwork his best.

The most disappointing outcome of the loss for the Netherlands is their failure to qualify for the 2025 Champions Trophy, something which two games ago seemed in the bag. Considering their performances at the beginning of the group stages, they certainly deserved a shot in the upcoming ODI contest as they made their mark that they weren’t a team to be underestimated taking wins against heavy hitters South Africa and Bangladesh. However, it can’t be ignore that in the latter stages the batting order has been weak and the heavy defeats against Australia and England sealed their fate at the bottom of the table.

Round The Stumps Cricket World Cup Standings

	M1	M2	M3	M4	M5	M6	M7	M8	M9	TOTAL
IND	3	4	5	4	4	3	5	5	5	38
NZ	5	4	3	4	3	4	2	4	5	34
SA	4	5	2	5	4	4	5	1	3	33
AUS	2	1	3	4	5	5	5	3	5	33
AFG	1	2	5	2	5	4	4	3	3	29
PAK	3	4	2	2	2	4	4	3	3	27
BAN	3	2	3	3	2	2	2	3	3	23
SL	4	3	4	3	4	2	1	3	1	23
NED	3	3	2	3	1	3	1	2	2	22
ENG	1	2	1	1	1	3	3	3	4	21