Cricket World Cup 2015 Schedule: Dates, Fixtures for Remaining Group Matches
England face a must-win match against Sri Lanka during Sunday's 2015 Cricket World Cup action, as the team make a desperate push to survive the group stages and extend their tournament.
The Sri Lankans sit second in Pool A behind New Zealand and look like strong candidates to join the Black Caps and Australia in the next round, but the race for the final ticket is wide open. And with England having won just the solitary match against Scotland, Peter Moores' squad is starting to run out of time.
The same rings true for Pakistan and Zimbabwe, who will meet later in the day in a Pool B battle. Here's how the schedule for the remaining group-stage fixtures looks:
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| March 1 | 10 p.m. (day before) | England v Sri Lanka | Wellington |
| March 1 | 3:30 a.m. | Pakistan v Zimbabwe | Brisbane |
| March 3 | 3:30 a.m. | South Africa v Ireland | Canberra |
| March 4 | 1 a.m. | Pakistan v UAE | Napier |
| March 4 | 6:30 a.m. | Australia v Afghanistan | Perth |
| March 5 | 10 p.m. (day before) | Bangladesh v Scotland | Nelson |
| March 6 | 6:30 a.m. | India v West Indies | Perth |
| March 7 | 1 a.m. | South Africa v Pakistan | Auckland |
| March 7 | 3:30 a.m. | Zimbabwe v Ireland | Hobart |
| March 8 | 10 p.m. (day before) | New Zealand v Afghanistan | Napier |
| March 8 | 3:30 a.m. | Australia v Sri Lanka | Sydney |
| March 9 | 3:30 a.m. | England v Bangladesh | Adelaide |
| March 10 | 1 a.m. | India v Ireland | Hamilton |
| March 11 | 3:30 a.m. | Sri Lanka v Scotland | Hobart |
| March 12 | 1 a.m. | South Africa v UAE | Wellington |
| March 13 | 1 a.m. | Bangladesh v New Zealand | Hamilton |
| March 13 | 3:30 a.m. | England v Afghanistan | Sydney |
| March 14 | 1 a.m. | India v Zimbabwe | Auckland |
| March 14 | 3:30 a.m. | Australia v Scotland | Hobart |
| March 15 | 10 p.m. (day before) | West Indies v UAE | Napier |
| March 15 | 3:30 a.m. | Pakistan v Ireland | Adelaide |
England finally put together a solid performance against Scotland in their last outing, winning by 119 runs, and Moores' men now face the daunting prospect of a showdown with a Sri Lankan team starting to find their form.
As shared by Island Cricket, Steven Finn knows Sunday's clash will be a challenging one:
The bowling of Lasith Malinga drives Sri Lanka, and the ace took three wickets and surrendered just 35 runs in their easy win over Bangladesh. Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara put on a batting clinic in that match, combining for 266 runs against a struggling group of bowlers.
England know what it's like to struggle with the ball—the lopsided loss to New Zealand won't soon be forgotten. Sri Lanka may not field batsmen of the quality of Brendon McCullum, but Sangakkara and Dilshan aren't too far behind.
Finn (26 runs, three wickets) and Stuart Broad (24 runs) both looked excellent against Scotland, showcasing improved control, and the duo will have to repeat their heroics on Sunday. Fortunately, per cricket writer Nadeeshan Meedin, Sri Lanka will enter the match ill-prepared:
Moores' men likely need at least two more wins from their final three matches in order to qualify, and in that regard, a match against Afghanistan would have been more welcome. But the contest with Sri Lanka will be an excellent test to see whether or not the team has evolved enough to have any chance of doing some damage in the next round.
The Sri Lankans have a quality team, the likes of which England would face past the group stage. According to Telegraph Sport's Michael Vaughan, the squad might as well pack their bags now if they can't get past Sri Lanka:
Zimbabwe and Pakistan find themselves in a similar situation to England, needing a win to stay within striking distance of West Indies for the fourth spot in Pool B. The Windies' huge loss against South Africa is great news as far as the net run rate is concerned, via former cricketer Aakash Chopra:
Despite being the only winless team in Pool B, Pakistan should have the edge over Zimbabwe. Their narrow win over the United Arab Emirates was hardly convincing, and even in that match, bowling was a concern.
Going up against a lineup containing the likes of Ahmed Shehzad, Umar Akmal and Misbah-ul-Haq, that's a problem. As shared by Tribune Sport, opener Shehzad should be fit to play:
Pakistan haven't won back-to-back ODIs in some time, but you have to start somewhere. In order to give themselves a chance of progressing to the next round, they have to beat Zimbabwe, and while you should never count out any team, expect Pakistan's superior star power and explosive batting to make the difference.
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