England entered the ICC World Cup 2023 as one of the top favorites to win the competition. They won the previous edition in 2019 at home, but the way they have performed has been horrible since the very start. Who would have thought that England would be at the bottom of the table?
The defending champions have lost five of their six games and are almost out of the tournament. Furthermore, if they end the tournament at the bottom of the table, they will also lose the chance to feature in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan, as only the top seven teams with host Pakistan will be selected.
Thus, with three matches left to play, England will have to put everything in their power to turn the result in their favor. They will face Australia on Saturday at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. It will be a big game for this under-performing English side.
On the eve of the match, Ben Stokes came out to address the media and admitted that England played poor cricket, which is why they are in this situation. He said, “There is no point sugarcoating that, because it is the truth. The problem is that we have been c**p.”
However, a reporter also asked him about the favorites to win the tournament. In reply, he picked South Africa. Stokes said, “South Africa are looking good. Probably not the answer you wanted?” Notably, South Africa has played a brilliant game of cricket, and after India, they are the second-best team in this tournament so far.
On the other hand, India has been undefeated so far and is looking great. Many former cricketers have opined that India will be lifting the Cup at home. In that scenario, Stokes predicting South Africa was a bold pick. Notably, India and South Africa will meet on Sunday, and it will decide which team is superior in the group stage.
