Cricket World Cup 2023: Australia can complete England’s humiliation with a big win

A win against England on Saturday could do more than all-but assure Australia of a Cricket World Cup semi-final spot, writes DANIEL CHERNY.

DHARAMSALA, INDIA - OCTOBER 28: Pat Cummins of Australia celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of Matt Henry of New Zealand (not pictured) during the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup India 2023 Group Stage Match between Australia and New Zealand at HPCA Stadium on October 28, 2023 in Dharamsala, India. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

Not only could an Australian win against England on Saturday all-but clinch a semi-final spot, it would also push the Old Enemy to the brink of missing qualification for cricket’s second-biggest one-day international prize.

It emerged over the weekend that qualification for the 2025 Champions Trophy, an event last held in 2017, would be based the final standings from this World Cup rather than the rolling ICC ODI rankings as had been the case for several previous editions of the tournament.

The eight-team tournament, set to be held in Pakistan, will feature the hosts as well as the next seven best finishers from the World Cup.

In an extraordinary twist, that shapes as bad news for the reigning world champions, who have endured a horror tournament and are at serious risk of finishing in the bottom two of the 10-team league table, which would mean missing qualification for the event. England’s latest setback came via a heavy defeat to India at Lucknow on Sunday night.

England's Moeen Ali walks back to the pavilion after his dismissal against India. The heavy defeat has England on the brink of missing the 2025 Champions Trophy. Picture: AFP

It is feasible that the November 8 game between England and the Netherlands in Pune could decide eighth spot, an astonishing situation given England’s white-ball supremacy over the past five years and the fact the Dutch are only an associate nation.

The Australia-England match at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium marks the first clash of the teams since the end of a controversy-laden Ashes series, but Aussie wicketkeeper Josh Inglis, born in Leeds, said he did not expect there to be extra edge to the match as a result of events in June and July.

“Not for me, I don’t think there will be,” Inglis said.

“It was a different format, long time ago.”

Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra tweeted his bemusement at the ICC’s decision.

“Interesting that the qualifications for the Champions Trophy in 2025 are dependent on this World Cup’s standings … what are ICC’s plans for bilateral ODI in these two years? Why can’t the cut-off be 2024?”

Originally published as Cricket World Cup 2023: Australia can complete England’s humiliation with a big win