Cricket World Cup 2023 Points Table:  In a rain-affected encounter in the 35th fixture of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023, Pakistan took on New Zealand at Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium on November 4. Pakistan's skipper, Babar Azam, won the toss and opted to field, sending Kane Williamson's New Zealand to bat. New Zealand posted a formidable total of 401-6 in their allotted 50 overs, fueled by an exceptional century by Rachin Ravindra (108) and a brilliant 95 by Kane Williamson.


Pakistan's opening pair, Abdullah Shafique and Fakhar Zaman, displayed intent and aggression from the outset. Despite losing Shafique early, Fakhar Zaman unleashed a breathtaking display of strokeplay. However, just as Pakistan was gaining momentum, rain intervened, causing a disruption and invoking the DLS (Duckworth-Lewis-Stern) method.


After a brief rain delay during the 22nd over, only 3.3 additional overs were possible before rain returned, forcing a halt to proceedings. Despite the interruptions, Pakistan maintained a DLS-based lead, securing a crucial two points. The victory kept Pakistan's hopes alive for a semi-final berth.


On the other hand, New Zealand suffered a significant setback, marking their fourth consecutive loss in the tournament, despite posting a formidable 401. They retained their fourth position in the standings. The result, however, meant South Africa became the second team to secure a place in the semifinals after India.

England Knocked Out Of Semis Race


In the second fixture of the day, arch-rivals Australia and England faced off at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium in the 36th match of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023. England won the toss and chose to field, sending Australia into bat first.


England had an encouraging start with Chris Woakes dismissing in-form Australian batters David Warner and Travis Head in the early powerplay. However, Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne steadied Australia's innings. A few cameos from Cameron Green, Marcus Stoinis, and Adam Zampa helped Australia reach a competitive total of 286 all out in 49.3 overs.


In response, England's innings got off to a shaky start, losing Jonny Bairstow to the first ball of the innings, courtesy of Mitchell Starc. Joe Root also fell to Starc, leaving England at 19-2 in 4.3 overs. Ben Stokes and Dawid Malan formed a decent partnership before Malan was dismissed by Pat Cummins. England captain Jos Buttler was also dismissed after contributing just one run to the total. In the end, even though England’s lower order chipped in with some useful contributions, they fell short by 33 runs.

Australia's win means the defending champions are knocked out of the semifinals equation.

Here’s how the points table reads after the NZ vs PAK and ENG vs AUS matches on Saturday (November 4):