Cricket / icc ranking

The semifinals of the world cup are upcoming, and the teams are preparing themselves for a showdown with one another. Below are the cricket world cup teams in the semifinals ranked number one to four. Number 1: India (Matches: 9, Wins: 7, Loss: 1, No Record: 1) Besides their loss to England and their near defeat to Afghanistan, India are in great shape entering the semifinals. With their recent win over Sri Lanka, India has moved to the top spot on the points table, overtaking Australia. Because of the sudden change in rankings, thousands of Indian fans have availed of the tickets. They are also against easier competition, going up against New Zealand. They lost key players to injuries including Vijay Shankar who suffered a broken toe and Shikhar Dhawan who suffered a fractured thumb. Virat Kohli is their go-to player in the tournament. He has scored five fifties and kept the middle batting-order in check. Rohit Sharma has been hitting the ball with intensity; he has also scored a record-breaking five centuries in their match against Sri Lanka. KL Rahul has also helped in the scoring, Dhoni hasn’t been as productive in the ICC World Cup as others would have wanted. Number 2: Australia (M: 9, W: 7, L: 2) The first team to qualify for the semifinals, Australia has only suffered two defeats: one to India, and one (unexpectedly) to South Africa. Because of the loss to South Africa, they were kicked out of the top spot. Usman Khawaja is out of the ICC World Cup after pulling his left hamstring in their match versus South Africa. Because of this, Matthew Wade was called from Australia A squad to replace him. Mitch Marsh was also called in to substitute for Marcus Stoinis who suffered a side strain. Starc also had knee problems. As for Shaun Marsh, his world cup run is over after suffering an arm fracture during practice. Their go-to player right now is David Warner who is also back to his natural self. Carey and Finch have also scored as well. Starc is also in great shape, scoring wicket after wicket. Number 3: England (M: 9, W: 6, L: 3, NR: 0) After stumbling in the early stages of the tournament, the England National Cricket Team came back strong and won their must-win matches against Australia and New Zealand. A semi‑final against Australia at their favourite stadium – Edgbaston – is much more preferable. Injury-wise, they can only hope that no further injuries come to the players and that those who did suffer injuries are on their top game. Roy’s torn hamstring seems to be holding together after he missed three games, Mark Wood’s ankle and Adil Rashid’s shoulder also seem to be causing no trouble. Their go-to man is their captain, Eoin Morgan. He is the man who keeps the players in check as well as keeps the tempers from flaring out of control. Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, Plunkett and Chris Woakes’ bowling are always a danger to batsmen, while Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler are hitting the ball with strength and accuracy. Number 4: New Zealand (M: 9, W: 5, L: 3, NR: 1) Having qualified for the semifinals with the lowest number of wins along with three consecutive defeats, and only their net run rate to save them from being overtaken by Pakistan, the Kiwis have ended the round-robin stage bruised. Lockie Ferguson missed their game against England due to a hamstring injury. He is expected to be back for their semifinals match against India. Kane Williamson is their key player as 30% of the team's runs have come from him alone. Though their batsmen are not in-form, their bowlers are throwing at speeds of about 93 mph, giving them a fighting chance. The world cup 2019 schedule will see top team India going up against New Zealand in the first match of the semifinals, which will be held on July 9. Following this, England and defending champion Australia will face each other on June 11. The championship game of the ICC World Cup will be held on Sunday, July 14.