Pakistan joined a very intriguing race for the semi-final spots with their victory against South Africa at Lord’s but the week begins with the Black Caps on top of the points table.
Interestingly the last time the World Cup was held in an open pool format New Zealand were surprise table-toppers, back in 1992. Australia hold second place but India are lurking just behind and have a game in hand on Aaron Finch’s men. England occupy fourth spot on the log but a slip-up against Sri Lanka has left them needing to claim victories in their two tough fixtures this week.
Monday 24 June
Rose Bowl, Southampton (11:30)
Bangladesh 26/100
Tie 40/1
Afghanistan 28/10
Bangladesh are giving a good account of themselves at the World Cup but they need to beat Afghanistan to keep pace with the top four.
Afghanistan have shown glimpses of quality but they are very clearly the bottom side in the World Cup group.
Bangladesh’s so-called big five will once again be called upon to lead the Tiger’s efforts. Last time out a hundred from Mushfiqur Rahim and fifties from Tamim Iqbal and Mahmudullah weren’t enough for them to haul in a massive target set by Australia.
Afghanistan gave India a real scare in a low-scoring dogfight but fell 12 runs short of what would have been a famous World Cup upset. Mohammad Nabi starred with bat and ball taking 2/33 before scoring 52 off 55 balls.
Despite the performance, the gap in quality between the batting units is vast and favours Bangladesh.
Verdict: Bangladesh should win and stay in the hunt for a semi-final.
Tuesday 25 June
Lord’s, London (11:30)
England 72/100
Tie 40/1
Australia 23/20
England’s loss to Sri Lanka leaves them with ground to make up on Australia and has the chasing pack nipping at their heels.
Batting failures have been at the heart of both of England’s losses, to date but they will at least draw some positives from the way Ben Stokes batted against Sri Lanka.
Australia’s batting has been unexpectedly superb led by openers David Warner and Finch, who lead the run-scoring charts for their team. Warner tops the overall standings and is one of five players to have hit two hundreds in the tournament.
One of the other men to make two centuries is England’s Joe Root. Eoin Morgan, Jason Roy and Jos Buttler have all reached three-figures once, so England’s batting is overall still in a very good place.
Mitchell Starc will be eager to upstage the home side’s batsmen as Australia’s leading wicket-taker in the tournament. He has 15 scalps to his name, the same number as England’s top bowler, Jofra Archer.
Verdict: England will win a thriller.
Wednesday 26 June
Edgbaston, Birmingham (11:30)
New Zealand 52/100
Tie 40/1
Pakistan 31/20
Pakistan reignited their hopes of making the top four when they obliterated the Proteas at Lord’s but could have that dream snuffed out by an excellent Black Caps side.
New Zealand have been the victors in successive last over thriller’s with their skipper Kane Williamson managing back-to-back World Cup hundreds, they have certainly shown that they can hold their nerve under pressure.
Pakistan were able to put together a complete performance against the Proteas but New Zealand should be able to turn the heat up on Sarfraz Ahmed’s men. Mohammad Amir poses a big threat to a New Zealand middle-order that has looked a little shaky at times.
Verdict: New Zealand will continue their unbeaten streak
Thursday 27 June
Old Trafford (11:30)
West Indies 5/2
Tie 40/1
India 32/100
The West Indies were cruelly denied a thrilling last-ball victory by an excellent catch on the fence by New Zealand’s Trent Boult and now need to beat India to keep themselves in that hotly contested semi-final race.
India survived their first wobble of the World Cup but they will be wary of underestimating a vastly improved West Indies team.
Carlos Brathwaite’s maiden international hundred underlined how deep the Windies batting power is and their bowling has been well-suited to the English conditions.
India are probably the best-balanced side in the tournament but can be their own worst enemies sometimes often taking unnecessary risks.
Verdict: A focused India will put down the West Indies
Friday 28 June
The Riverside Stadium, Chester-Le-Street (11:30)
Sri Lanka 31/20
Tie 40/1
South Africa 52/100
Sri Lanka surprisingly find themselves leading the chasing pack looking to haul in the in-form top four that has established itself and they can keep the heat up with a win over the Proteas.
South Africa have had the wood over Sri Lanka in recent ODIs but Faf du Plessis’ side have been especially poor at the World Cup and the islanders will fancy themselves to kick them while they are down.
Sri Lanka’s resurgence has been led by the grit of Angelo Mathews and the brilliance of Lasith Malinga but they will likely need some support to get past a wounded Proteas outfit.
No Proteas batsman has managed to score 70 runs in a single World Cup innings and it is clear that this is the area that needs the most work for the green and gold.
Saturday 29 June
Headingley, Leeds (11:30)
Pakistan
Tie
Afghanistan
If Pakistan’s semi-final hunt is still alive by the weekend they will need to keep their roll going against Afghanistan.
Gulbadin Naib’s side might hope that Headingley produces another low-scoring match to equalize things between the Asian rivals.
The neighbours have a tense political history but the on-field rivalry has seen little in terms of incidents of bad player behaviour.
Haris Sohail improved the side when he came in for the out of sorts Shoaib Malik and he is likely to be given a run in the side now.
Verdict: Pakistan need to win.
Saturday 29 June
Lord’s, London (14:30)
New Zealand
Tie
Australia
Both sides have been surprisingly good with New Zealand getting the most out of a squad with relatively few stars while Australia’s heavyweights have really come to the party.
The Lord’s wicket has taken some turn and the Black Caps may consider giving Ish Sodhi an opportunity against a spin-shy Australia.
Australia may also opt for double spin and bring in Nathan Lyon to support leg-spinner Adam Zampa, who has so far fronted the slow bowling.
The winner of this match will just about seal their place in the semi-finals and more than likely move to top spot.
New Zealand will want early wickets to negate the threat of Warner and Finch firing in tandem and Australia’s hitters making merry at the back-end.
Verdict: Australia to end New Zealand’s streak
Sunday 30 June
Edgbaston, Birmingham (11:30)
England
Tie
India
Another big match between two teams occupying top four positions, the loser of this encounter will be placed in a nervous position in the closing stages of round-robin action.
India and England were pre-tournament favourites but the pressure could be telling for the Three Lions, however, an assured display against India will restore the home side’s confidence and instil a belief that they could win the World Cup.
The loss of Shikhar Dhawan seems to have disrupted India’s usually impressive batting lineup but one modest total is certainly no cause for alarm. Virat Kohli is yet to ton up in this tournament, though he will tell you that he is more concerned with the team doing well.
India could boast more support at the ground than their hosts and it should make for a cracking atmosphere at Edgbaston.
Verdict: India will rock England’s World Cup hopes.
Written by James Richardson for @Hollywoodbets.
