Cricket World Cup 2015: Day 2 Results, Points Tables and Upcoming Schedule

Day 2 of the 2015 Cricket World Cup saw Pool B enter the fray, and following the pulsating dose of top-class cricket on display on Day 1, it’s safe to say it had a lot to live up to.

Perfect timing, then, for holders India to get their campaign underway.

The reigning champions faced a tough opening test in the bid for their third title, though, with Pakistan out to shock the bookmakers and kick their World Cup off with a bang in Adelaide.

India vs. Pakistan is one of the most decorated rivalries in cricket history, and with that in mind, the form book was well and truly off the table heading into the encounter.

In Sunday’s other game, another fierce rivalry took centre stage, as Zimbabwe and South Africa clashed in Hamilton.

AB de Villiers’ men entered the tie off the back of two disappointing warm-up defeats at the hands of Sri Lanka and New Zealand, but fancied their chances against a Zimbabwe side who had failed to qualify out of the group stage in the last two tournaments.

Check back here for Day 2 updates from the ICC Cricket World Cup, as well as the latest tournament standings and upcoming fixtures.

Points Tables

Hannah Peters/Getty Images

Pool A

Team	Played	Won	Lost	Tied	No Result	Run Rate	Points
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

Pool B

Team	Played	Won	Lost	Tied	No Result	Run Rate	Points
South Africa	1	1	0	0	0	1.24	2.0
Zimbabwe	1	0	1	0	0	-1.24	0
West Indies	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

Upcoming Schedule

Phil Walter/Getty Images

ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Fixtures

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)

Feb. 20 Pool A: England v New Zealand, Wellington (Westpac Stadium) (d/n) (1 a.m. GMT)

Feb. 21 Pool B: Pakistan v West Indies, Christchurch (10 p.m. GMT, Feb. 20)

Feb. 21 Pool A: Australia v Bangladesh, Brisbane (d/n) (3:30 a.m. GMT)

Feb. 22 Pool A: Sri Lanka v Afghanistan, Dunedin (10 p.m. GMT, Feb. 21)

Feb. 22 Pool B: South Africa v India, Melbourne (d/n) (3:30 a.m. GMT)

Feb. 23 Pool A: England v Scotland, Christchurch (10 p.m. GMT, Feb. 22)

Feb. 24 Pool B: West Indies v Zimbabwe, Canberra (d/n) (3:30 a.m. GMT)

Feb. 25 Pool B: Ireland v UAE, Brisbane (d/n) (3:30 a.m. GMT)

Feb. 26 Pool A: Afghanistan v Scotland, Dunedin (10 p.m. GMT, Feb. 25)

Feb. 26 Pool A: Sri Lanka v Bangladesh, Melbourne (d/n) (3:30 a.m. GMT)

Feb. 27 Pool B: South Africa v West Indies, Sydney (d/n) (3:30 a.m. GMT)

Feb. 28 Pool B: India v UAE, Perth (d/n) (1 a.m. GMT)

Feb. 28 Pool A: Australia v New Zealand, Auckland (d/n) (6:30 a.m. GMT)

Mar. 1 Pool A: England v Sri Lanka, Wellington (Westpac Stadium) (10 p.m. GMT, Feb. 28)

Mar. 1 Pool B: Pakistan v Zimbabwe, Brisbane (d/n) (3:30 a.m. GMT)

Mar. 3 Pool B: South Africa v Ireland, Canberra (d/n) (3:30 a.m. GMT)

Mar. 4 Pool B: Pakistan v UAE, Napier (d/n) (1 a.m. GMT)

Mar. 4 Pool A: Australia v Afghanistan, Perth (d/n) (6:30 a.m. GMT)

Mar. 5 Pool A: Bangladesh v Scotland, Nelson (10 p.m. GMT, Mar. 4)

Mar. 6 Pool B: India v West Indies, Perth (d/n) (6:30 a.m. GMT)

Mar. 7 Pool B: South Africa v Pakistan, Auckland (d/n) (1 a.m. GMT)

Mar. 7 Pool B: Zimbabwe v Ireland, Hobart (d/n) (3:30 a.m. GMT)

Mar. 8 Pool A: New Zealand v Afghanistan, Napier (10 p.m. GMT, Mar. 7)

Mar. 8 Pool A: Australia v Sri Lanka, Sydney (d/n) (3:30 a.m. GMT)

Mar. 9 Pool A: England v Bangladesh, Adelaide (d/n) (3:30 a.m. GMT)

Mar. 10 Pool B: India v Ireland, Hamilton (d/n) (1 a.m. GMT)

Mar. 11 Pool A: Sri Lanka v Scotland, Hobart (d/n) (3:30 a.m. GMT)

Mar. 12 Pool B: South Africa v UAE, Wellington (Westpac Stadium) (d/n) (1 a.m. GMT)

Mar. 13 Pool A: Bangladesh v New Zealand, Hamilton (d/n) (1 a.m. GMT)

Mar. 13 Pool A: England v Afghanistan, Sydney (d/n) (3:30 a.m. GMT)

Mar. 14 Pool B: India v Zimbabwe, Auckland (d/n) (1 a.m. GMT)

Mar. 14 Pool A: Australia v Scotland, Hobart (d/n) (3:30 a.m. GMT)

Mar. 15 Pool B: West Indies v UAE, Napier (10 p.m. GMT, Mar. 14)

Mar. 15 Pool B: Pakistan v Ireland, Adelaide (d/n) (3:30 a.m. GMT)

Quarter-Finals

Mar. 18 Quarter-final 1, A1 v B4, Sydney (3:30 a.m. GMT)

Mar. 19 Quarter-final 2, A2 v B3, Melbourne (3:30 a.m. GMT)

Mar. 20 Quarter-final 3, A3 v B2, Adelaide (3:30 a.m. GMT)

Mar. 21 Quarter-final 4, A4 v B1, Wellington (1 a.m. GMT)

Semi-Finals

Mar. 24 Semi-final 1, Winner QF1 v Winner QF3, Auckland (1:00 a.m. GMT)

Mar. 26 Semi-final 2, Winner QF2 v Winner QF4, Sydney (3:30 a.m. GMT) 

Final

Mar. 29 Final, Melbourne (5:30 a.m. BST)

Schedule courtesy of BBC Sport

Pakistan Demolished by Holders India

James Elsby/Associated Press

India (300/7) bt. Pakistan (224 all out) by 76 runs

India began their Cricket World Cup title defence with an outstanding 76-run victory over Pakistan in a classic at the Adelaide Oval.

When these two giants of cricket meet, it’s always a momentous occasion and the thriller they served up in Sunday’s Pool B encounter was only fitting.

India elected to bat and quickly found their feet on the Adelaide surface, with openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan looking bright at the crease.

However, Sharma then rather tossed his wicket away, as loose batting saw him play straight into the grateful hands of Misbah-ul-Haq for 15 with 34 on the scorecard.

Enter Virat Kohli.

Together with Dhawan, Kohli put together a sensational knock to steady the Indian ship, chalking up 100 runs between them in double-quick time.

It was all looking good for the reigning champs, until a miscalculation from Dhawan saw Misbah-ul-Haq run him out with an impressive piece of fielding—per Sky Sports Cricket:

"

WICKET: Dhawan is run out for 73 by Misbah-ul-Haq. India 163-2. http://t.co/51m4hjeABX #fireitup #CWC15 pic.twitter.com/goovKqxOWd

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) February 15, 2015"

Kohli wasn’t deterred, though, as he continued to slog away everything that the Pakistani order could throw at him, displaying a dynamic range of batting throughout.

It didn’t take long for the 100 to come up, with a single enough to take him over the line and into the admiring arms of partner Suresh Raina—via Sky Sports Cricket:

"

WATCH: Virat Kohli reaches his hundred. Watch the action live on Sky Sports World Cup #fireitup - http://t.co/5EK37u56NW

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) February 15, 2015"

The century was hardly a surprise for Kohli, though, as it seems that he can either be lacklustre or lethal against Pakistan, today was the latter—as ESPN’s Freddie Wilde reported:

"

Virat Kohli vs Pakistan in ODIs (most recent first): 5, 22*, 7, 6, 0, 183, 9, 18, 16. Feast or famine. #CWC15 #IndvPak

— Freddie Wilde (@fwildecricket) February 15, 2015"

Sohail Khan eventually stopped Kohli in his tracks for 107—one of his five wickets of the day.

Khan was a late call-up to the Pakistan set-up, but he proved the selectors right with a fantastic haul of 5/55, showing the rest of the bowlers how it’s done—per ESPNcricinfo:

"

Sohail Khan hadn't played an ODI since 2011. Called on to play against India in the World Cup, he took 5-55. Rest of the attack: 1-243

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) February 15, 2015"

Amongst those five wickets were two on the spin in a team hat-trick, as the end of the Indian order simply fell apart.

Ravindra Jadeja, Ajinkya Rahane and Ravichandran Ashwin’s wickets dropped in successive balls to hand Pakistan a lifeline heading into their chase.

The bar was set at 300, with seven wickets far more than the Pakistan order deserved. Were it not for Khan, Indian may well have been out of sight.

As it was, the chase was very makeable for Pakistan—it was all just a case of which side turned up.

Misbah-ul-Haq’s men are notorious for batting collapses and consistency struggles, so when opener Younis Khan lost his wicket for just six runs, it looked like being the same old story.

However, Ahmed Shehzad and Haris Sohail kept Pakistani heads above water, as their partnership moved over 50.

Ashwin then disposed of Shehzad to put the chasers at 79-2, before the inevitable collapse took centre stage.

Shehzad, Sohaib Maqsood and Umar Akmal’s wickets fell with just one counteracting run, as India went on the rampage. Maqsood’s dismissal at the hands off Umesh Yadav sent the Indian’s into fever pitch—as Sky Sports Cricket’s video shows:

"

WATCH: Umesh Yadav strikes to remove Sohaib Maqsood. Watch the action live on Sky Sports World Cup #fireitup - http://t.co/YEEiRiEKFv

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) February 15, 2015"

The Pakistanis were clearly struggling. They were either losing their wickets or dotting deliveries, per Freddie Wilde:

"

Pakistan's last ten balls: 1 W • W • • • 1 • W. #CWC15 #IndvPak

— Freddie Wilde (@fwildecricket) February 15, 2015"

At 103/5, it was always going to bean uphill struggle, and so it proved as Pakistani failed to threaten reaching their 301 target.

Misbah-ul-Haq was the only middle-order batsmen that could hold his head high after an impressive knock of 76, but those around him couldn’t follow suit.

Mohammed Shami eventually took the skipper’s wicket—one of four for him on the day.

Pakistan’s final total of 224 all out as Khan’s wicket fell was enough to hand India the victory and a crucial couple of points in Pool B.

India are amongst the favourites to take the World Cup crown, and they proved exactly why on Sunday with an excellent all-round performace.

The holders are back in action on February 22 against South Africa, who enjoyed a comprehensive victory of their own on Sunday against Zimbabwe.

South Africa Ease Past Zimbabwe

Hannah Peters/Getty Images

South Africa (339/4) bt. Zimbabwe (277 all out) by 62 runs

South Africa kicked their World Cup off with an impressive 62-run victory against Zimbabwe in Adelaide, with David Miller and JP Duminy stealing the show with the bat—per BBC Sport: 

"

South Africa beat Zimbabwe by 62 runs in their opening World Cup game http://t.co/HQOfY4fKPe #SAvZIM #CWC15 pic.twitter.com/kDUR8RKPQi

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) February 15, 2015"

The Proteas took to the crease first, but they struggled to get to grips with the Zimbabwe attack early on as the wickets tumbled.

Openers Quinton de Kock and Hashim Amla uncharacteristically mustered just 18 runs between them, with Tendai Chatara and Tinashe Panyangara taking their respective wickets.

The latter produced a stunning ball to dismiss Amla and celebrated by doing the worm on the ground, as ESPN Cricinfo revealed:

"

In case you are wondering, that is Panyangara's celebration after removing Hashim Amla. #SavZim #CWA2015 pic.twitter.com/596RECn5oF

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) February 15, 2015"

There was more cause for celebration for the bowlers soon after, too, as Faf du Plessis and AB de Villiers were removed for 24 and 25, respectively.

At 83/4, things were looking rosy for Zimbabwe, but Miller and Duminy soon brought them back down to earth.

The duo were slogging away everything that the bowlers could hurl at them, chalking up boundary after boundary, but they saved their best cricket for the final six overs.

The Proteas were sitting on 228/4 with the 300 mark only under minor threat, but at that very moment, switches flicked in the heads of Miller and Duminy and they quite simply went on a rampage.

Zimbabwe could do nothing to stop the pair reaching their respective centuries, as spectators became fielders and fielders became spectators.

Miller was simply sensational, even putting together a 30-run over en route to his astronomical ODI total of 138. ESPN Cricinfo reflected on just how fast he did the damage: 

"

Fifteen minutes ago, David Miller was 86 off 77. Now he is 136 off 90 #MillerTime http://t.co/AlqfHSXcMa #cwc15

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) February 15, 2015"

South Africa finally posted 339/4 as the 50th over came and went, with the six-over haul of 111 impressing ESPN journalist Freddie Wilde and international team-mate Albie Morkel: 

"

South Africa just scored 111-0 off their final six overs. That's one hundred and eleven runs in six overs. #CWC15 #SAvZim

— Freddie Wilde (@fwildecricket) February 15, 2015 "

"

Well played @jpduminy21 and @DavidMillerSA12 .. Quality 100s under pressure!

— Albie Morkel (@albiemorkel) February 15, 2015"

Miller and Duminy’s 256 runs they put on was also the highest fifth-wicket partnership in cricket history, beating the former best of 226 set by Ravi Bopara and Eoin Morgan comprehensively, per Cricket South Africa: 

"

.@davidmillersa12 & @jpduminy21 also record the highest 5th-wicket partnership (256) in a #cwc15. #ProteaFire pic.twitter.com/Zs2EPiObN7

— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) February 15, 2015 "

With 340 runs standing between Zimbabwe and victory, it was difficult to see the underdogs’ chase ever picking up speed.

Early brilliance was their only ticket to two points, but it duly arrived via sensational batting from Chamu Chibhabha and Hamilton Masakadza.

After Sikandar Raza was dismissed for five by Vernon Philander, Chibhabha and Masakadza went on the rampage.

South African bowler Dale Steyn was the duo’s main target, as they made him look as if he was using a tennis ball at times, just slapping away everything that came at them.

The Proteas needed a hero, and it came in the shape of Imran Tahir.

Tahir, not everyone’s cup of tea, took both Chibhabha and Masakadza’s wickets, with the latter clumsily edging behind with his new-found partnership with Brendan Taylor looking dangerous.

Respective hauls of 64 and 80 were impressive, though, and ESPN Cricinfo’s Firdose Moonda was quick to praise the impact of Masakadza: 

"

So there will be no Hamilton hundred in Hamilton today. Masakadza is out for 80 after a plucky innings, Big applause. #savzim #cricket

— Firdose Moonda (@FirdoseM) February 15, 2015 "

While a 340 chase looked unlikely, a foundation had been laid. At 191/3 with plenty of cricket left to play, the impossible suddenly became possible.

However, the rest of the Zimbabwe order failed to show the spark and courage of Chibhabha and Masakadza, with Taylor the only man to make a real dent on the scorecard with a knock of 40.

The wickets tumbled and tumbled as 50 overs approached, with Philander and Tahir enjoying the best of the action with the ball. And when Morne Morkel caught and bowled Chatara, Zimbabwe’s race was run.

A total of 277 all out was a brave chase and could so easily have resulted in victory, but South Africa’s batting brilliance was enough to see them over the line.

Hero of the day Miller reflected on an excellent triumph after his innings, but said that it was a lot harder than it looked, via BBC Sport:

"I just needed to construct a partnership with someone, and JP was the man today. It was tough up front and a bit slow initially, but it definitely eased up towards the end."

So, everything with the bat is fine, but things will need to improve with the ball when the Proteas return to action against India on February 22, as the reigning champions will take full advantage of slack performances.

Zimbabwe, meanwhile, face the West Indies in Canberra on February 24 in their next Pool B match, where there’ll need to show even more of a fighting spirit to stand any chance of crossing the line.