World Cup 2023 Points Table: South Africa remain 2nd after beating Afghanistan in final league game

Nov 11, 2023 - 01:30

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World Cup 2023 Points Table: South Africa remain 2nd after beating Afghanistan in final league game

The 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup kicked off on Thursday (5 October) at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium with New Zealand defeating defending champions England by nine wickets.

World Cup 2023: News | Schedule | Results | Points table

The Black Caps, who have finished runners-up in each of the last two editions and are eyeing their maiden title this year, thus became the first team to open their accounts on the World Cup points table.

Hosts India too got their campaign off to a winning start in their opening game against Australia in Chennai, triumphing over the five-time world champions by six wickets at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.

In the latest fixture that took place on Thursday, 10 November, South Africa defeated Afghanistan by five wickets with 15 deliveries to spare after being set 245 to win. The victory ensures the Proteas remain at the second spot for now with seven wins in nine matches, though Australia could overtake them on Net Run Rate after going level with them on 14 points should they beat Bangladesh by a convincing margin on Saturday.

Afghanistan, meanwhile, signed off with eight points from nine outings in what has been an extraordinary World Cup campaign for them so far.

Pakistan remain mathematically alive in the race to the semi-finals, they would have to register a victory of extraordinary margin in their final league stage game against England in the second match of the Saturday double-header.

India were the first team to confirm their place in the semi-finals after handing Sri Lanka a 302-run hammering in Mumbai, and would ensure they finished the league stage at the top of the table by thrashing South Africa by 243 runs in Kolkata.

South Africa and Australia became the second and third teams respectively to confirm their semi-final spots after their victories against New Zealand and Afghanistan respectively.

Here’s a detailed look at the ICC World Cup 2023 points table (updated as of 10 November at 11.10 pm):

Position	Team	Matches	Won	Lost	Tied	NR	NRR	Points
1	India (Q)	8	8	0	0	0	+2.456	16
2	South Africa (Q)	9	7	2	0	0	+1.261	14
3	Australia (Q)	8	6	2	0	0	+0.861	12
4	New Zealand	9	5	4	0	0	+0.743	10
5	Pakistan	8	4	4	0	0	+0.036	8
6	Afghanistan	8	4	5	0	0	-0.336	8
7	England	8	2	6	0	0	-0.885	4
8	Bangladesh	8	2	6	0	0	-1.142	4
9	Sri Lanka	9	2	7	0	0	-1.419	4
10	Netherlands	8	2	6	0	0	-1.635	4

Q: Qualified

The World Cup this year will be hosted entirely in India unlike the previous editions that took place in the sub-continent, in which the cricket-mad nation co-hosted along with Pakistan, Sri Lanka or Bangladesh. It is set to run for more than a month, with the final also taking place at Narendra Modi Stadium on 19 November.

India, who recently were crowned Asian champions following a comprehensive victory over Sri Lanka in the final, are solid favourites heading into the tournament.

The Men in Blue, who are being led by a third different captain in as many editions, have not won an ICC title since the 2013 Champions Trophy and their last World Cup win came in 2011, also at home. They will however, back themselves to end that drought factoring in their recent form as well as home advantage.