In Lucknow, England’s World Cup hopes took a further hit as they lost against hosts India by 100 runs.
The defending champions’ latest batting capitulation saw them bowled out for 129 while chasing 230 on a difficult pitch in front of their boisterous home fans.
This is the first time a team has ever lost five times at a World Cup, and it comes after four straight losses in India.
When Jasprit Bumrah took out Dawid Malan and Joe Root in quick succession, the fans went wild, and England promptly collapsed, losing four wickets for only nine runs in 27 balls. With 10 wickets falling, the score was only 99.
Like Root, Ben Stokes was hunting down a duck.
He just lasted nine deliveries before he was bowled by Mohammed Shami, who also got an inside edge to dismiss Jonny Bairstow for 14.
Earlier, England had shown remarkable improvement with the ball, limiting India to a total that appeared to be somewhat below average.
Rohit Sharma scored 87 out of 101, but India’s all-star batting order was held in check by David Willey’s 3-45, which included the dismissal of Virat Kohli for zero.
The win restores the home team’s perfect record to the top of the table. They are also in an excellent position to advance to the semifinals.
England, however, is in last place; they are not yet mathematically eliminated from the competition, but their elimination is only a matter of time.
England will need to improve if they want to compete in the Champions Trophy alongside tournament hosts Pakistan in 2025.
