Cricket World Cup 2015 Schedule: Remaining Fixtures for All Groups
New Zealand and India have taken commanding leads in Group A and Group B, respectively, as the 2015 Cricket World Cup is midway through its second week of action.
The Black Caps absolutely thrashed England in their final outing and are now preparing for a highly anticipated clash against rivals and co-hosts Australia. Meanwhile, India cruised to an easy win over South Africa and look all but certain to finish the group stage undefeated.
Here's a look at the standings following the Men in Blues' win over the Proteas:
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| New Zealand | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | +3.586 | 602/87.1 | 498/150.0 |
| Australia | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | +2.220 | 342/50.0 | 231/50.0 |
| Bangladesh | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | +2.100 | 267/50.0 | 162/50.0 |
| Sri Lanka | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -0.861 | 469/98.2 | 563/100.0 |
| Afghanistan | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1.175 | 394/100.0 | 503/98.2 |
| Scotland | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -3.039 | 142/50.0 | 146/24.5 |
| England | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -3.952 | 354/100.0 | 467/62.2 |
| India | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | +2.060 | 607/100.0 | 401/100.0 |
| West Indies | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | +1.267 | 614/100.0 | 467/95.5 |
| Ireland | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | +0.618 | 307/45.5 | 304/50.0 |
| Zimbabwe | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -0.495 | 563/98.0 | 624/100.0 |
| South Africa | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -0.680 | 516/100.0 | 584/100.0 |
| United Arab Emirates | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -0.258 | 285/50.0 | 286/48.0 |
| Pakistan | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2.260 | 384/100.0 | 610/100.0 |
There's plenty of cricket left to play, as all but one team—New Zealand—are halfway through their group-stage schedule:
| Date | Group | Match | Date | Group | Match |
| 2/23 | A | England v Scotland | 3/7 | B | South Africa v Pakistan |
| 2/24 | B | West Indies v Zimbabwe | 3/7 | B | Zimbabwe v Ireland |
| 2/25 | B | Ireland v UAE | 3/8 | A | New Zealand v Afghanistan |
| 2/26 | A | Afghanistan v Scotland | 3/8 | A | Australia v Sri Lanka |
| 2/26 | A | Sri Lanka v Bangladesh | 3/9 | A | England v Bangladesh |
| 2/27 | B | South Africa v West Indies | 3/10 | B | India v Ireland |
| 2/28 | B | India v UAE | 3/11 | A | Sri Lanka v Scotland |
| 2/28 | A | Australia v New Zealand | 3/12 | B | South Africa v UAE |
| 3/1 | A | England v Sri Lanka | 3/13 | A | Bangladesh v New Zealand |
| 3/1 | B | Pakistan v Zimbabwe | 3/13 | A | Englad v Afghanistan |
| 3/3 | B | South Africa v Ireland | 3/14 | B | India v Zimbabwe |
| 3/4 | B | Pakistan v UAE | 3/14 | A | Australia v Scotland |
| 3/4 | A | Australia v Afghanistan | 3/15 | B | West Indies v UAE |
| 3/5 | A | Bangladesh V Scotland | 3/15 | B | Pakistan v Ireland |
| 3/6 | B | India v West Indies |
India's 130-run win over South Africa reminded everyone why the defending champions are still the team to beat. Powered by Shikhar Dhawan's 137 runs, the Men in Blue cruised to a total of 307 before the bowlers took over.
Mohammed Shami and Ravichandran Ashwin led the way, taking five wickets between them and pulverising the back order of the Proteas. Former cricket star Aakash Chopra thought the difference between the teams was visible on the pitch:
South Africa's AB de Villiers was brutally honest in his post-match press conference:
India arguably field the most complete unit, capable of dropping a huge total at any given time with a plethora of consistent batsmen and more than adept at taking quick wickets.
Given their current form, however, New Zealand will have something to say about that title. Brendon McCullum currently has an impressive strike rate of 182.55 and has 157 runs in total, chasing only David Miller and Dhawan.
Meanwhile, Tim Southee and Daniel Vettori both rank in the top three wicket-takers, and, per the team's official Twitter feed, their performance against England will be remembered for a long time:
Group A will likely be decided by the clash between the Black Caps and eternal rivals Australia, who haven't met in an ODI match since the 2011 World Cup. The Black Caps have come a long way since then, but the Baggy Greens will present the team with a serious challenge.
Looking past the four top teams—New Zealand, India, South Africa and Australia—the race for the remaining four tickets to the next round will be most intriguing, especially in Group A.
Sri Lanka, England and Afghanistan are all struggling with form, while Bangladesh's match against the Baggy Greens was cancelled, handing them a point.
In Group B, West Indies and Pakistan have hardly looked convincing, and Ireland could cause a major shock thanks to their top form. Expect Windies and Ireland to join India and South Africa in the next round from Group B, while I see Bangladesh and Sri Lanka emerging from Group A along with the Black Caps and Australia.
All stats are courtesy of ESPN Cricinfo.
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