Eoin Morgan-led England defeated India by 31 runs in the ICC Cricket World Cup match at Edgbaston, Birmingham on Sunday. England survived to live for another day as they outbatted India in a high-scoring encounter, keeping their semi-final hopes alive.
Opener Jonny Bairstow’s hundred (111 off 109 balls) set the platform and a cavalier 54-ball 79 by all-rounder Ben Stokes took England to an imposing 337 for 7 in 50 overs after batting first, neutralising the spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav with some heavy duty hitting.
The total proved to be good enough as Rohit Sharma’s (102) 25th ODI hundred and skipper Virat Kohli’s (66) fifth consecutive half-century could only take India to 306 for 5 as England captain Eoin Morgan rotated his bowlers effectively at the death.
England, now on 10 points, will need to beat New Zealand in their last game to qualify for the semifinals while India (11 points from 7 games) will need to win at least one of their remaining two games — against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka — to seal the last four spot.
India’s defeat on Sunday will also make Pakistan’s (9 points from 8 matches) chances of qualifying for the semifinals a tad difficult. Today, Sri Lanka will clash with West Indies at Chester-le-Street at 3 p.m.