Cricket World Cup 2015 Results: Groups, Schedule After Australia vs. Sri Lanka
Day 23 of Cricket World Cup 2015 saw the tournament hosts return to action, as the irresistible New Zealand took on Afghanistan in Napier before Australia welcomed Sri Lanka to the SCG.
The Black Caps were looking to extend their 100 per cent start to the competition to five matches after seeing off Australia in their last game, and they fancied their chances of doing exactly that against minnows Afghanistan.
The Afghans were blown away by the Aussies on Wednesday, as Michael Clarke’s side chalked up a 275-run victory after setting a staggering 417 with the bat, but Sri Lanka were likely to pose a more gruelling test for them on Sunday.
Having brushed England aside in their last game, the Sri Lankans are beginning to look like a formidable World Cup force, but they knew that they’d need another sterling performance if they were to give the Aussies a run for their money.
So, it was all set up for another blockbuster day of cricket. Read on for updated tournament tables, schedules and recaps of Sunday’s matches.
Cricket World Cup 2015 Pool Tables
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Cricket World Cup 2015 Pool A
| Played | Won | Lost | Tied | N/R | R/R | Points | ||
| 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.09 | 10.0 | ||
| 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1.60 | 7.0 | ||
| 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | -0.15 | 6.0 | ||
| 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.18 | 5.0 | ||
| 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | -1.20 | 2.0 | ||
| 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | -1.88 | 2.0 | ||
| 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | -1.42 | 0.0 |
Cricket World Cup 2015 Pool B
| Played | Won | Lost | Tied | N/R | R/R | Points | ||
| 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.25 | 8.0 | ||
| 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.46 | 6.0 | ||
| 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | -0.19 | 6.0 | ||
| 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | -0.82 | 6.0 | ||
| 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | -0.51 | 4.0 | ||
| 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | -0.60 | 2.0 | ||
| 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | -1.69 | 0.0 |
Cricket World Cup 2015 Fixtures
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ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Fixtures
Pool Matches
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 (4:30 a.m. BST)
Australia See off Sri Lanka Challenge in SCG Thriller
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Australia (376/9) bt. Sri Lanka (312/9) by 64 runs
Australia leapfrogged Sri Lanka in the Cricket World Cup 2015 Pool A standings with a hard-fought victory on Sunday.
Having posted 379/9, the Aussies managed to keep the Sri Lankan order at bay, as their chase mounted to nothing despite brave efforts taking them to 312/9.
The Aussies came into the match off the back of an emphatic victory against Afghanistan in which they chalked up 417 runs, and their scintillating form with the bat continued after winning the toss and taking to the crease.
Although David Warner was dismissed early for just nine runs and Aaron Finch’s 24 was far from glamorous, those in the middle of the order produced an emphatic display.
Steve Smith and Michael Clarke steadied the ship initially, as they romped to a partnership half-century from 74 balls—per Sky Sports Cricket:
"50 PARTNERSHIP! Smith and Clarke bringing stability to the Australia innings. #AUSvSL #fireitup pic.twitter.com/XphQcF1ilC
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) March 8, 2015"
Each player then crossed the landmark individually, but their respective knocks were ended soon after.
Lasith Malinga took the first of his three Sunday wickets at the expense of Clarke for 68, before Smith skied a Tillakaratne Dilshan delivery into the grateful hands of Thisara Perera on 72.
At 177/4, the Aussies weren’t exactly rattled by the Sri Lankan surge, but it was clear that they were picking up momentum.
Enter Glenn Maxwell to defuse the situation.
Maxwell hasn’t been able to consistently resurrect his Indian Premier League form from last season, but his innings against Sri Lanka saw the Aussie in full flow.
Once Maxwell gets his eye in, he becomes unstoppable, and the Sri Lankans were just unlucky enough to catch the batsman on one of his lethal days.
He was finding boundaries with ease, with this reverse sweep showing his confidence and panache—via Sky Sports Cricket:
"WATCH: Maxwell is in full flow! #fireitup #CWC15 http://t.co/uDnbw45JaX
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) March 8, 2015"
It wasn’t long before the Aussie was threatening three figures, and he moved to 101 from just 51 balls—the second-fastest century in World Cup history, according to Sky Sports Cricket:
"Glenn Maxwell blasts his first ODI hundred & the second fastest in World Cup history from 51 balls. #fireitup #CWC15 pic.twitter.com/b8jSrwghtg
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) March 8, 2015"
He could only add one more run to his score, though, as Perera took his wicket with a superb delivery.
The damage was done, though, and together with Shane Watson’s 67, Maxwell and the Aussies laid down a big marker.
The 376/9 haul could have been better if the back order had found some form, but even so, it was a big chase for the Sri Lankans.
Angelo Mathews’ men needed to get off to a good start on their quest for victory, but their hopes were dented when Lahiru Thirimanne was sent packing for 1 by an unplayable Mitchell Johnson delivery, as Sky Sports’ video shows:
"WATCH: Johnson strikes early for Australia! #fireitup #CWC15 http://t.co/nZv7Y5xB8o
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) March 8, 2015"
While Sri Lanka fans were lamenting the loss of their opener, it was a blessing in disguise, as Kumar Sangakkara entered the fray and made history.
He was dealing with everything that was being thrown his way, picking off Johnson’s pace with ease and class. It didn’t take long for his 50 to come up, but a bigger milestone then presented itself, as Sangakkara passed 14,000 career ODI runs, per Sky Sports Cricket:
"WATCH: @KumarSanga2 joins @sachin_rt in passing 14,000 ODI runs. See it on Sky Sports World Cup #fireitup #cwc15 http://t.co/LfehXQX0X2
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) March 8, 2015"
The records weren’t stopping there, though; when the Sri Lankan moved into three figures, he became the first batsman to make three consecutive centuries in the World Cup, as ESPN’s Freddie Wilde revealed:
"Record Alert: Kumar Sangakkara is the first batsman ever to score hundreds in three consecutive World Cup matches. #CWC15 #AusvSL #Aus #SL
— Freddie Wilde (@fwildecricket) March 8, 2015"
His wicket fell soon after at the hands of James Faulkner, but with Sri Lanka sitting on 201/4, the chase suddenly looked reachable.
Dinesh Chandimal kept his side alive with an emphatic display, romping to 50 from just 22 balls (via Wilde), but after he was forced to retire injured on 54 runs, it looked as if the challenge was over.
"Dinesh Chandimal: • 4 1 4 • 6 2 • 4 4 4 1 1 2 • 4 4 1 4 2 2 22 balls 50 runs #CWC15 #AusvSL #Aus #SL
— Freddie Wilde (@fwildecricket) March 8, 2015"
And so it proved, as the back of the order failed to make a dent on the scorecard, allowing the Aussies to record a 64-run triumph with Sri Lanka back on 312/9.
It was a great attempt from Sri Lanka, Sangakkara in particular, but as Australia have proved so many times before in this World Cup, they’re just too strong.
The hosts’ last game on the Pool stage sees them take on Scotland, where they’ll undoubtedly prepare for the quarter-finals in style with another big win.
It’s all just a case of who can stop the Aussies now. The batting is fantastic, the bowling is solid, and the recipe for success is evident.
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New Zealand Thrash Afghanistan to Maintain 100 Per Cent Record
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New Zealand (188/4, 36.1/50) bt. Afghanistan (186 all out) by six wickets
Cricket World Cups have served up some magical giant-killings down the years, but even the most optimistic Afghanistan fan couldn’t have envisaged their side taking points from the unbeaten tournament hosts, and so it proved.
New Zealand were quite simply too good for their Afghan counterparts in Sunday’s opener, as their bowlers ripped apart the Afghanistan order with minimal fuss.
Having won the toss and elected to bat, the minnows’ best hopes of setting a big total was getting off to a fast start, but in reality, it couldn’t have been a slower one.
Openers Javed Ahmadi and Usman Ghani mustered just one run between them, as Trent Boult and Daniel Vettori continued their respective outstanding form with the ball.
That rather set the tone for the entire Afghanistan innings, as single-figure hauls littered their scorecard.
Samiullah Shenwari and Najibullah Zadran gave them something to shout about with a half-century apiece, but the end of their partnership brought about the end of the Afghan challenge.
The latter’s innings in particular was celebration-worthy, as eight fours and two sixes on the way to 56 runs provided fantastic entertainment.
As it was, though, Afghanistan bowed out with just 186 runs to show for their efforts, with Vettori’s bowling figures of 4/18 stealing the show.
The Kiwi has been in magnificent form throughout the tournament, and ESPN’s Freddie Wilde reflected on his brilliance:
"Daniel Vettori has bowled 272 balls in #CWC15, he’s taken 12 wickets, bowled 171 dot balls & conceded just 7 boundaries. #NZvAfg #NZ #Afg
— Freddie Wilde (@fwildecricket) March 8, 2015"
The chase appeared a simple one for New Zealand, then, and they barely broke a sweat on their way to surpassing Afghanistan’s total with all of 83 balls remaining.
Openers Martin Guptill and Brendon McCullum kicked off the innings in scintillating form, with the skipper slogging his way to 42 and Guptill making 57.
That 57 was Guptill’s first half-century of the World Cup, per ICC, and it could well prove to be the tonic for the opener to finally hit top gear.
"FIFTY! A 1st 50 of #cwc15 for Martin Guptill he's guiding the #NZ chase nicely here at Napier http://t.co/D1vocAJpNe pic.twitter.com/SW2AU7Xu8E
— ICC (@ICC) March 8, 2015"
After their dismissals, the Black Caps sat on 111/2 with the only question being how long Afghanistan could cling on to life for.
They put up a brave fight, but the task of dismissing an in-from Kiwi order was just too much.
Birthday boy Ross Taylor and Corey Anderson scored the runs to take New Zealand over the line, with Anderson’s four taking them to 188/4 and maintaining their 100 per cent record—per the Black Caps’ official Twitter feed:
"That's it - @coreyanderson78 hits the winning runs through mid wicket, it's a 6 wicket win over @ACBofficials, and five in a row #cwc15 ^RI
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) March 8, 2015"
The batting was solid, but it was the platform that the bowlers built that made the task easy, with Vettori moving over the 300 mark for ODI wickets amongst his dismissals.
Following the match, skipper McCullum was quick to praise the spinner, labelling him a “special” talent—per BBC Sport:
"The guys bowled really well and obviously Dan was the stand-out performer. He is a special cricketer for what he has achieved in all three formats of the game over two decades. To see him achieve another milestone is fantastic."
New Zealand had already booked their place in the quarter-final of the competition before a ball was bowled on Sunday, but maintaining momentum in a Cricket World Cup is of paramount importance.
They take on Bangladesh in their final Pool A match, who may well have a top-four place to fight for.
Nonetheless, should New Zealand keep up their exemplary form with bat and ball, they’ll sweep any team aside that comes their way.
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