England’s hopes of qualifying for the semi-finals of the ICC World Cup were dealt with a severe blow after they slumped to a 64-run loss against Australia at Lord’s on Saturday.
Chasing a target of 286, England were dismissed for 221 and slumped to their third defeat of the tournament.
The defeat meant England had lost two straight pool matches – their first back-to-back defeats in One-Day Internationals since January 2017 – after also falling short in a run-chase in a 20-run defeat by Sri Lanka.
The host nation, bidding to win a first World Cup, can still qualify for the semi-finals but they are likely to need to beat at least one of fancied India and New Zealand in their remaining two group games.
Also Read: World Cup 2019 qualification scenarios: England’s third defeat blows open race to semi-finals
Although England were billed as favourites to lift the title before the start of the tournament, the defeat to the Aussies exposed the chinks in their armoury.
Here’s a statistical roundup of the game:
(with AFP inputs)
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