Hosts England had a stupendous start to their ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 after handsomely beating South Africa by 104 runs in the first match of the tournament. A narrow defeat to Pakistan in their next game then was followed by three successive victories before the back-to-back defeats against Sri Lanka and Australia hampered their qualifying chances. But the hosts bounced back with two convincing wins over India and New Zealand to progress into the semis. Their fiery batting line-up should be a worry for the opposition. ICC CWC 2019 Semi-Finals Schedule: India to Take On New Zealand and Australia to Face England in Cricket World Cup Semis.

As the England team sealed their semi-final berth in Cricket World Cup 2019, we at LatestLY bring you the journey of the hosts so far in CWC 2019 and how their bowling and batting department performed in the round-robin stage, ahead of the all-important knock-out round, which begins on July 9. Australian Police Troll England Cricket Fans on Twitter After ICC Cricket World Cup England vs Australia 2019 Match.

England’s Batting in WC 2019: One of the strong points of England in this World Cup has been their consistent batting throughout the group stage. Joe Root has been the standout performer for the hosts, emerging as the highest scorer for the side. The signs are positive for England as their core batting group be it Jonny Bairstow, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes or Eoin Morgan are all in sublime touch.

England’s Batting Performance in WC Group Stage:

Sr. No. Player Name Matches Runs Highest Average 100s 50s
1. Joe Root 9 500 107 62.50 2 3
2. Jonny Bairstow 9 462 111 51.33 2 2
3. Ben Stokes 9 381 89 54.42 - 4

England’s Bowling in WC 2019: England’s batting is in fine touch, but the form of bowling will be a big headache. The bowlers – Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Chris Wood, or even Ben Stokes – have all performed well in patches and that has got them through to the semi-finals. However, knock-outs will be a different game altogether and the hosts need to pull up their socks in this department if they want to lift the coveted trophy on July 14.

England’s Bowling Performance in WC Group Stage:

Sr. No. Players Name Matches Wickets Best Average Econ. S/R
1. Jofra Archer 9 17 3/27 22.76 4.78 28.5
2. Mark Wood 8 16 3/18 23.06 5.22 26.5
3. Chris Woakes 9 10 3/71 38.90 5.72 40.8

England had a tumultuous ride to qualify for the semi-finals of ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. They entered CWC 2019 as the pre-tournament favourites and were strongly considered as the title contenders. However, a couple of freak losses and a dip in form ruffled quite a few feathers in the English camp. Nonetheless, the team managed to qualify for the semis after winning the last two crucial matches.

Road to Semi-Finals: ICC World Cup 2019 Points Table

Rank Team M W L T N-R T NRR
3 England 9 6 3 0 0 12 1.152

The batting seems pretty much okay for England, but it is their bowling which is a bit concerning. However, the team would be looking to make amends in the knock-outs and would be eyeing the elusive World Cup trophy in their cabinet. It will be interesting to see them clash against their arch-rivals, Australia, in the second semi-final match of the World Cup 2019 on July 11.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 08, 2019 04:38 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).