Cricket World Cup 2015 Schedule: Table of Updated Dates, Times and Fixtures
The group stages of the 2015 World Cup are reaching the business end of proceedings with several illustrious teams in danger of failing to make it to the knockout rounds.
The likes of India, South Africa, New Zealand and Sri Lanka all look set for quarter-final berths after impressing so far Down Under.
However, England, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe are hanging on by a thread in the competition following several crushing results.
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Here is a look at the updated schedule with all the key group matches to come ahead of the knockout stages:
| Date | Time (GMT) | Fixture | Venue |
| 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 |
| March 18 | 3:30 a.m. | Quarter-final 1 | Sydney |
| March 19 | 3:30 a.m. | Quarter-final 2 | Melbourne |
| March 20 | 3:30 a.m. | Quarter-final 3 | Adelaide |
| March 21 | 1 a.m. | Quarter-final 4 | Wellington |
| March 24 | 1 a.m. | Semi-final 1 | Auckland |
| March 25 | 3:30 a.m. | Semi-final 2 | Sydney |
| March 29 | 4:30 a.m. BST | Final | Melbourne |
England Can't Afford Another Defeat
It has been an ignominious campaign for England so far in New Zealand and Australia, with Eoin Morgan's men suffering heavy defeats to both co-hosts and a similar drubbing at the hands of Sri Lanka.
The only positive so far for England has been a 119-run win over Scotland, which included a Moeen Ali century and a record opening stand at a World Cup.
However, even the Scotland win was eventually underwhelming—the batting lineup collapsed after the openers departed, per the Sunday Times' Simon Wilde:
Sunday saw a return to crushing defeats for the English as Sri Lanka won by nine wickets despite chasing a seemingly challenging target of 310.
Joe Root was a centurion against Sri Lanka and Jos Buttler finished the innings in impressive style, but another mid-overs malaise and ineffective bowling cost England.
With just one victory under their belts, England are currently second from bottom in Pool A, and anything but victory in their final two group matches against Bangladesh and Afghanistan would almost certainly see them condemned to an early exit from the competition.
England would usually be expected to beat such opponents, but their confidence is surely very low after a bruising campaign thus far.
Equally, the Afghans have looked threatening so far—running Sri Lanka close and beating Scotland—while Bangladesh are in a similarly precarious position and will be hugely motivated to beat the English.
Zimbabwe Face Key Clash Against Ireland
Zimbabwe have picked up just one win from their first four Pool B matches; beating the United Arab Emirates by four wickets but losing to South Africa, West Indies and, most importantly, Pakistan by 20 runs on Sunday.
The defeat to Pakistan means the clash with Ireland on Saturday is vital in deciding the final quarter-final places from Pool B—assuming India and South Africa take the top two spots.
West Indies will also be in the mix, but Zimbabwe can put themselves firmly in the driving seat if they beat Ireland.
The Irish have batting power—they chased down 300 in beating the West Indies—but a crushing defeat to South Africa has adversely impacted their net run rate, per cricket statistician Mazher Arshad:
This could prove invaluable for Zimbabwe, but they still have to beat the Irish, as in-form India are their final group opponents.
Pool B is likely to go right down to the wire in terms of who takes the final spots in the quarter-finals, and Zimbabwe can give themselves a very good chance by overcoming the Irish challenge.
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