England’s fifth defeat of their World Cup title defence continued their abject slide towards elimination.
Matthew Mott and Jos Buttler’s side would become only the third defending champions to exit at the group stage, and the first in 24 years, and are on course for one of the worst ever records for an established cricketing nation after defeat to India.
Here, the PA news agency looks at how they compare.
Champions Trophy trapdoor
An additional alarming element of England’s losing run is the possibility they could fail to qualify for the 2025 Champions Trophy – a secondary event in importance but an embarrassing one to miss out on.
A change in format tying qualification to World Cup performance means England will need to climb from 10th to eighth, putting pressure on remaining games against Australia, the Netherlands and Pakistan.
Bangladesh, also on two points, face Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Australia while the Dutch, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are all on four points.
England’s path to the Champions Trophy, therefore, surely involves at least two wins including beating the Netherlands by a sufficient margin to swing the net run rate in their favour – Pakistan, as Champions Trophy hosts, will qualify automatically.
To that end, England’s heavy losses so far put them in an even more difficult position. They suffered their heaviest ever defeat by runs, by 229, against South Africa and lost to India by 100 runs – not to mention Afghanistan by 69 – while their nine- and eight-wicket losses to New Zealand and Sri Lanka came with, respectively, 82 and 146 balls remaining.
Indeed, England are the first team to be bowled out in under 35 overs three times in a single men’s World Cup.
Worst defences
The West Indies won the first two World Cups then lost the 1983 final to India, who went on to reach the 1987 semi-finals.
Australia finished fifth of nine teams in the 1992 group stage as defending champions and co-hosts, missing out by a point after Pakistan got a fortunate no-result against England having been bowled out for 74.
Sri Lanka, surprise champions in 1996, finished fifth in Group A in 1999. Their record ranked 10th of 12 teams overall, ahead of only Kenya and Scotland and behind Bangladesh on net run rate, so is the nearest comparison to England’s efforts so far – though even then, Sri Lanka won two games and lost only three.
Australia won that tournament, their first of three in a row before reaching the 2007 quarter-finals. They and India have since reached semi-finals as defending champions.
Unwanted company
There have been 32 instances of a team losing five or more games in a single men’s World Cup, including England and Bangladesh this year.
Zimbabwe have suffered that fate five times and Bangladesh four, with three occasions each for Sri Lanka – all prior to their 1996 win – Kenya and the Netherlands.
Scotland, Canada, the West Indies and Afghanistan have done so twice apiece with one each for India, South Africa, Namibia, Ireland, the United Arab Emirates and now England.
While the World Cup is a limited-overs tournament, Test-playing status has traditionally been the measure of the leading cricketing nations and six of those teams, accounting for 12 five-loss campaigns, have never played a Test.
Ireland and Afghanistan have played only seven apiece and Sri Lanka, while now established, had played only 39 up to the 1992 World Cup. Zimbabwe and Bangladesh have played fewer than 150 each and have always been among the lower-ranked Test nations, leaving only India in 1992, the West Indies in 2007 and 2019 and South Africa in the latter tournament as close comparisons for England.
Rutherford gets big payday from Gujarat Titans at IPL 2025 Mega Auction; Shepherd, Powell snapped up by RCB and KKR, respectively
Guyanese hard-hitting left hander Sherfane Rutherford will get the opportunity to shine on T20 franchise cricket’s biggest stage once again after being picked up by the Gujarat Giants on Monday’s second day of the 2025 IPL Mega Auction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Rutherford, who entered the auction with a base price of US$182,000, was the subject of an intense bidding war between the Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans.
The Indians started the bidding at US$243,000 before the Titans countered with a bid of US$268,000.
Mumbai responded with a bid of US$292,000 before the Titans returned with a winning bid of US$317,000.
Rutherford has previously made 10 appearances in the IPL, seven for the Delhi capitals in 2019 and three for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2022, scoring 106 runs in nine innings at an average of 15.14.
He has also previously been part of the Mumbai Indians, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders.
Other West Indians selected on day two include Romario Shepherd who was snapped up by the Royal Challengers Bangalore for US$182,000 and West Indies T20I captain Rovman Powell who went to the Kolkata Knight Riders for the same price.
The Lucknow Super Giants exercised their right to match the Mumbai Indians bid of US$91,000 for pacer Shamar Joseph.
Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Akeal Hosein, Shai Hope, Kyle Mayers and Roston Chase all went unsold.
Australia still confident despite heavily losing first India Test, says Cummins
Pat Cummins says Australia are still confident they can win the Border Gavaskar Trophy despite slumping to a 295-run defeat to India in the first Test.
The hosts started day four needing 522 runs after slipping to 12-3 at the start of their second innings but could only reach 238 as India's attack made quick work of things in Perth.
Australia have won just one Test series when losing the opener (home and away) since 1970. They have lost 24 series and drawn five, though three of those five draws were two-match series.
Despite a poor start to their five-match series, Cummins insisted it was unlikely Australia would make any rash decisions ahead of the second Test.
"I am not a selector, but I would be very surprised if we made any big changes," he told ABC Sports.
"Really confident these are the best of 11 guys coming into this week. This week didn't go our way, but I'm still confident that's the case.
"We challenge each other. We will stick firm, so this week doesn't change that.
"We were clearly well off the mark. There is a lot to work on. So, the most important thing is, there's four Test matches next to come.
"What's the next move? How do we make sure that we don't be in this position again?"
India had racked up just 150 runs during their first innings, but a strong bowling performance against Australia steadied the ship before centuries from Virat Kohli and Yashasvi Jaiswal put them out of sight.
The tourists claimed their biggest Test win (by runs) in Australia on Monday, while it was also their third-biggest away Test victory in history.
Captain Jasprit Bumrah, who took his 40th wicket on Australian soil as he finished with bowling figures of 8-72, was pleased with the faith India showed after their early setback.
"We were put under pressure in the first innings, but the way we responded after that, I'm really very proud of the team," Bumrah said.
"I played here in 2018, so I remember that when you start here, the wicket is a little soft and then becomes quicker and quicker. So, I was relying on that experience. Obviously, this wicket was a little less spicy than the last one that I played here, but we were really well prepared.
"So I was just telling everyone to have faith in their process and ability, because over here at this moment you have an opportunity to do something special. So, on a given day, experience does matter, but if you have faith in your ability, you can do something special."
Rush among broadcasters for inaugural Global Super League
The 2024 ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League (GSL), featuring teams from Australia, Bangladesh, England, Guyana, and Pakistan, has finalized its list of broadcasters, ensuring global reach for the tournament set to run from November 26 to December 6.
Fans across the world will have access to live coverage of the tournament, which boasts a US$1 million prize fund and promises top-quality cricket with international stars competing for a global T20 title.
In the Caribbean, Rush will be the official broadcaster, providing fans in the region with comprehensive coverage of all the matches. In Guyana, NCN, TVG, and ENetworks will bring the tournament to local viewers, reflecting the host nation’s enthusiasm for the event.
The tournament will also be broadcast in key cricketing markets such as Australia on Fox Sports, India via Sony and Fancode, Pakistan on A Sports and Tapmad, and in the United Kingdom through TNT Sports. Additionally, Sky Sport NZ will cover the matches in New Zealand, and Willow TV will cater to viewers in the USA and Canada.
For fans in markets without a dedicated broadcast partner, the GSL will provide free live streaming on its Facebook and YouTube channels, ensuring accessibility to cricket enthusiasts worldwide.
The GSL, held exclusively at the Guyana National Stadium, promises to bring together the best of global T20 cricket, with players from different nations vying for the coveted title. The tournament’s global broadcasting network underscores its ambition to become a staple in the international cricket calendar.
As excitement builds for the inaugural edition, cricket fans everywhere can look forward to enjoying the action, whether through local broadcasters or online platforms.
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