They lost the last ODI series to South Africa.
The England men’s cricket team is scheduled to play three ODIs on their ongoing tour of New Zealand. It will be a crucial assignment for the Harry Brook-led side as their World Cup 2027 fate hangs in the balance.
The champions of the 2019 edition are in serious danger of missing out on direct qualification for the 2027 event, which is set to take place in South Africa. Here we take a deeper look at where England currently stand and what they need to do to avoid having to go through Qualifiers.
As per the latest ICC rankings, they sit in the eighth position with a rating of 88. West Indies (80) and Bangladesh (77) are on their tail. Check out the latest ICC team rankings in Men’s ODIs:
| Rank | Team | Matches | Points | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | 36 | 4471 | 124 |
| 2 | New Zealand | 38 | 4160 | 109 |
| 3 | Australia | 35 | 3717 | 106 |
| 4 | Sri Lanka | 41 | 4235 | 103 |
| 5 | Pakistan | 35 | 3493 | 100 |
| 6 | South Africa | 35 | 3457 | 99 |
| 7 | Afghanistan | 28 | 2657 | 95 |
| 8 | England | 37 | 3252 | 88 |
| 9 | West Indies | 35 | 2814 | 80 |
| 10 | Bangladesh | 35 | 2465 | 77 |
| 11 | Zimbabwe | 24 | 1291 | 54 |
| 12 | Ireland | 18 | 938 | 52 |
| 13 | Scotland | 33 | 1522 | 46 |
| 14 | United States | 34 | 1387 | 41 |
| 15 | Netherlands | 36 | 1425 | 40 |
| 16 | Oman | 25 | 886 | 35 |
| 17 | Nepal | 32 | 1060 | 33 |
| 18 | Namibia | 33 | 707 | 21 |
| 19 | Canada | 23 | 357 | 16 |
| 20 | United Arab Emirates | 32 | 250 | 8 |
The Men’s Cricket World Cup in 2027 will feature a total of 14 teams. South Africa and Zimbabwe have already qualified by virtue of being the hosts. Namibia are also co-hosting the tournament but will not have an automatic spot as they are not an ICC full member.
Apart from the two hosts, 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.
The currently eighth-placed team could slip further down if they lose their upcoming matches. West Indies are ninth with a rating of 80, followed by Bangladesh. Both these teams can be big threats to England’s chances.
Failing to secure an automatic spot would mean Harry Brook & Co. will have to go through a Qualifiers round for the first time in World Cup history. West Indies had suffered that fate in the previous edition, and they failed to reach the main tournament.
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Once a formidable force in the fifty-over format during 2015-22, England have had an ordinary run in the last three years. They were knocked out in the group stage in the 2023 World Cup and endured the same in the Champions Trophy earlier this year.
Since October 2023, they have played 32 ODIs and have won only 11 of those while losing 21 times. Recently, they lost the home series against South Africa by 2-1. In the final game of that series, they showed what they’re capable of as they hammered the visitors by 342 runs. But consistency has been a major problem for them.
Check out their upcoming assignments in ODI cricket before the cut-off date.
(All ODI series comprise three matches.)
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