Cricket World Cup Tables 2015: Latest Results, Scores and Updated Schedule
Host nations New Zealand and Australia got their Cricket World Cup 2015 campaigns off with a bang on Saturday, scoring lopsided wins over Sri Lanka and England, respectively.
The Black Caps (331/6) beat Sri Lanka (233 all out) by 98 runs in Christchurch, powered by half centuries from Brendon McCullum, Kane Williamson and Corey Anderson, before the Baggy Greens (342/9) rode Aaron Finch to a 111-run win over England (231) in Melbourne.
All four teams are still favourites to qualify from the group stages when all is said and done, but Australia in particular dropped a strong hint that they should be considered favourites to bring home the title. Here's how the standings currently look:
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| Australia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.22 | 2 |
| New Zealand | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.96 | 2 |
| Sri Lanka | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | -1.96 | 0 |
| England | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | -2.22 | 0 |
| Scotland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bangladesh | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Afghanistan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| West Indies | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| South Africa | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ireland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pakistan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| India | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| United Arab Emirates | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zimbabwe | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The schedule for the coming days:
Feb. 15 Pool B: South Africa v Zimbabwe, Hamilton (d/n) (1 a.m. GMT)
Feb. 15 Pool B: India v Pakistan, Adelaide (d/n) (3:30 a.m. GMT)
Feb. 16 Pool B: West Indies v Ireland, Nelson (10 p.m. GMT, Feb. 15)
Feb. 17 Pool A: New Zealand v Scotland, Dunedin (10 p.m. GMT, Feb. 16)
Feb. 18 Pool A: Bangladesh v Afghanistan, Canberra (d/n) (3:30 a.m. GMT)
Feb. 19 Pool B: Zimbabwe v UAE, Nelson (10 p.m. GMT, Feb. 18)
For the full schedule, visit ESPN Cricinfo by clicking here.
New Zealand v Sri Lanka
Pundits seemed to agree the pitch in Christchurch would suit the chasing team better on Saturday, but hosts New Zealand just about obliterated that idea with a fantastic total of 331 runs in their first innings.
McCullum kicked things off with 65 from a mere 49 balls, pairing with Martin Guptill to give the Black Caps the best start possible. TV personality Piers Morgan was quite impressed with the New Zealand skipper:
A steady stream of runs during the middle overs saw Anderson take to the pitch with a healthy lead, and the 24-year-old didn't disappoint, adding another 75 from 46 to take home the Man of the Match award.
The Sri Lankans knew they had a mountain to climb, but to their credit, they held things together in the early overs of their innings. Lahiru Thirimanne's 65 from 60 was exactly the start they needed, but once the Black Caps' bowlers found their groove, it became clear there would be no epic comeback.
Tim Southee in particular impressed with the ball in hand, giving up just 43 runs in 10 overs with two wickets.
Afterwards, McCullum expressed his joy at starting the tournament on the right foot, via ESPN Cricinfo:
"Really good performance from the boys. We have been waiting a long time for this so it is great to complete our plans. I thought it might swing so I also thought about bowling first. The wicket was a bit on the slow side, but there was definitely good bounce and carry. It was great to lay the foundation and then allow the bigger hitters to come in and do the job. We look forward to the next game now, but it is great to beat a very tough Sri Lanka team.
"
New Zealand have perennially under-performed in this tournament, but powered by a bevy of batsmen who can heat up at any given team, you get the sense this could be the Black Caps' year.
Their opponents always knew it was going to be tough to beat the hosts in front of a vocal crowd in Christchurch, and with plenty of cricket still to be played, Sri Lanka have every opportunity to bounce back and qualify for the next round.
Australia v England
Not to be outdone by their neighbours, Australia scored a massive 342 runs to put heaps of pressure on an England team that never looked like causing an upset.
Finch scored the first century of the World Cup, 135 from 158 before being run out by Eoin Morgan, and while David Warner managed just 22 runs, a steady diet in the middle overs sealed the deal for the Baggy Greens.
Unsurprisingly, Finch took home the Man of the Match award, per ICC:
England's bowlers simply had no answer for the consistency of the hosts' batsmen, who never grew impatient or reached for balls. With the exception of Joe Root, who bowled just one over, every single bowler gave up at least 60 runs.
James Taylor nearly scored the second century of the tournament with 98 not out, and Ian Bell added 36 runs of his own, but the rest of England's batsmen struggled tremendously in Melbourne. Several early wickets took all of the excitement out of the match, with Mitchell Marsh grabbing an incredible five in nine overs.
The match ended in controversy, as the final wicket of James Anderson was given out run-out despite the batsman appealing a leg-before-wicket decision. Per the Guardian, the ICC has already acknowledged that was a mistake.
Marsh isn't going to take five wickets every match, but the Aussies have plenty of depth all-round and no clear weaknesses. With Warner bound to find his form as well, the Baggy Greens look dangerous.
The same can't be said for England, who face a real battle to even survive the group stages. If the top of the order can't deal with this kind of pressure, electing to field may not be the wisest decision moving forward.
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