They have won three out of 14 ODIs in the past 12 months.
The former world champions England find themselves at a risk of missing out on direct qualification to the 2027 Men’s Cricket World Cup. They have had two back to back disastrous fifty-over tournaments, and missing out on direct entry could be another low.
Following an annual update of ODI rankings by International Cricket Council (ICC), England slipped to eighth spot with 84 points below Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. England managed to win only three out of 14 ODIs between May 4, 2024 to May 5, 2025. As a result, their automatic qualification chances have taken a serious blow.
The 2027 Men’s Cricket World Cup will feature 14 teams in total. South Africa and Zimbabwe have already qualified by virtue of being the co-hosts. Namibia are also co-hosting the event but can not get an automatic spot as they are not an ICC full member.
Apart from South Africa and Zimbabwe, the top eight teams in the ICC ODI rankings will also have a direct spot in the Cricket World Cup. The cut-off date to lock the automatic qualification spots is March 31, 2027.
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England currently sit eighth with just one more point than West Indies. The two teams are set to face off in a three-match ODI series, starting May 29. If the Men in Maroon clinch the series, England will slip to ninth spot, taking a further hit to their qualification chances.
Failing to secure an automatic spot would mean England will need to go through the Qualifiers for the first time ever. West Indies suffered that fate in the previous edition, and they could not qualify for the marquee event in India.
The English men’s cricket team has had a disastrous time in ODI cricket in the last couple of years. First, they had a humiliating campaign in the 2023 Cricket World Cup, finishing seventh on the table with three wins in nine games. Their fortunes didn’t change in the Champions Trophy 2025 either as they failed to get out of the group stage.
In the aftermath, Jos Buttler stepped down from the white-ball captaincy. England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) recently announced Harry Brook as the new captain. They certainly have the resources, it is just a matter of clicking together.
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