The Cricket World Cup 2023 is delivering some phenomenal cricketing action to ardent cricket fans nowadays. In the third week of the One-Day International (ODI) tournament, the hosts India beat New Zealand in Dharmashala by four wickets and superseded the Black Caps to reach the top of the points table.
Along with India, the week went well for South Africa and Australia as well. The Proteas hammered England and Bangladesh without any hassle and attracted attention to themselves. Australia, who were struggling in the first two weeks also made a comeback with their convincing victories against Pakistan and the Netherlands. In the impressive shows of these three sides, their batters exuded confidence with their stunning performances. Discussing more, let’s rate the batting performances of all sides from the third week of the tournament.
Here are ratings of all teams’ batting performances from the third week
10. Netherlands- 4/10
The Netherlands played two games in week three of the competition and in both games, they faced defeats. Their first match of the week was against Sri Lanka in Lucknow where they got a five-wicket loss. The Orange Army made a comeback in this game after losing six wickets at a score of 91.
Their top six batters failed to do anything special against Sri Lanka’s bowling attack but their lower-middle-order batters Sybrand Engelbrecht and Logan van Beek stepped up and played responsible innings of 70 (82) and 59 (75), respectively. Their innings helped the Dutch side to post a decent total of 262 runs on the board.
Their next encounter was against Australia at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, and this time, the five-time champions completely outclassed them in all departments of the game. Chasing a huge total of 400, they got bundled out at a score of 90 runs and broke into record books for becoming the side to get the World Cup’s heaviest defeat (in terms of runs) with their massive 309-run loss.
9. England- 4/10
England have performed terribly in this tournament and now it seems, they will fail to qualify for the knockouts and retain the trophy. The defending champions have lost four out of their five encounters, and are sitting in the ninth spot on the points table. Before the competition, their batters were expected to shine on Indian pitches where bowlers don’t get much assistance.
However, England’s batters are failing consistently which is impacting the team’s chances to reach the semi-finals. In the tournament’s third week, the English side lost to South Africa at the Wankhede Stadium by 229 runs. This loss is England’s biggest defeat of their ODI history.
At the iconic ground, Jos Buttler and his men were tasked to chase 400 runs. Following the enormous total, the English batting unit collapsed under pressure. All their main batters failed to reach the 20-run mark. Tailenders Gus Atkinson and Mark Wood scored 35 (21) and 43 (17), respectively, and helped England end at 170 runs and shorten the margin of defeat.
8. Bangladesh- 5/10
Bangladesh are struggling to be among the victories in this competition. In their five matches, they have won one and lost four games in a row. The Bangla side kicked off their campaign with a victory against Afghanistan in Dharmshala, however, following that win, they received poundings from quality teams.
In Shakib Al Hasan’s absence, Najmul Hossain Shanto led the team against the hosts India in Pune but failed to win the contest for his side. Winning the toss, the Bangla team batted first and amassed 256 runs in their 50 overs. Openers Tanzid Hasan (51 runs off 43 deliveries) and Liton Das (66 runs off 82 balls) exuded confidence with their bats but their middle order failed to take the momentum ahead.
Mahmudullah scored 46 off 36 to help the team post a decent score on the board. After the India defeat, Bangladesh next faced positive South Africa at the Wankhded Stadium. The Proteas dominated the Bangla Tigers in this game and scored 382 runs in their 50-over quota. Bangladesh looked timid while pursuing the humongous target as they lost their six batters at a score of 81. Mahmudullah showed a fighting spirit with his bat, producing a solid 111-run knock off 111 deliveries. The veteran’s innings took Bangladesh to 233 runs.
7. Pakistan- 6/10
The tournament’s third week didn’t go well for the Babar Azam-led Pakistan as they lost their two matches in seven days and found themselves in trouble. Playing their fourth match of the competition, they lost to the five-time champions Australia by 62 runs at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
On Bengaluru’s batting paradise, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam won the toss and invited the Aussies to bat first. Riding on scintillating tons from the openers David Warner and Mitchell Marsh, the Men in Yellow gave a target of 368 to the 1992 champions. The Green Army started the chase with confidence but failed to hold their nerves in the end.
Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq gave a positive start to Pakistan with their half-centuries but the skipper Babar Azam fell to Adam Zampa on 18 runs and received criticism for failing in the crunch situation. Mohammad Rizwan stepped up with his 46-run innings off 40 balls but couldn’t take his team home.
After getting hammered by the Aussies, Pakistan lost to Afghanistan by eight wickets in Chennai. At Chepauk, Babar and opener Abdullah Shafique scored fifties but the former got heavily criticised for his slow innings of 74 off 92 after the match. Riding on Iftikhar Ahmed’s swift 40 off 27 and Shadab Khan’s stable 40-run innings of 38 balls, Pakistan put up 282 runs on the board but in the end, those runs weren’t enough for Pakistan bowlers to defend as the Afghan team pulled off the chase in 49 overs.
6. Sri Lanka- 7/10
After failing to win any match in the first two weeks, Sri Lanka finally won their maiden game of this tournament in Lucknow. The 1996 champions opened their victory account under Kusal Mendis with their five-wicket win against the Netherlands at the EKANA Sports City.
At the toss, the Dutch skipper Scott Edwards emerged victorious against Mendis and he elected to bat first. Sybrand Engelbrecht (70 off 82) and Logan van Beek (59 off 75) rescued the Netherlands after the fall of six wickets at a score of 91. Edwards and his men winded up their innings on 262 runs in 49.4 overs.
Pursuing the decent target, Sri Lanka batters lost Kusal Perera and Kusal Mendis early. Following the departure of both top-order batters, Pathum Nissanka and Sadeera Samarawickrama stitched a 52-run partnership and stabilized the innings for their team. Nissanka went back to the dugout on 54 but Samarwickrama continued his onslaught on bowlers along with Charith Asalanka. Samarawickrama stood in the middle until the end and took his team home with his unbeaten 91-run knock off 107.
5. Afghanistan- 7/10
Afghanistan have looked stunning in this competition, thus far. In the second week, they thrashed England by 69 runs at the Arun Jaitley Stadium while in the third week, they registered a convincing eight-wicket triumph over Pakistan at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
The Afghan side bowled with confidence in the crucial game against the Men in Green and restricted the Babar Azam-led side to 282 runs. In the history of the World Cup, Pakistan had never lost any game while defending 275+ scores, and keeping that in mind, Afghanistan were expected to display their courageous side in the second innings.
Pursuing the fine target of 283 runs, the Afghan openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran built a crucial partnership of 130 runs in 21.1 overs. Gurbaz lost his wicket against Shaheen Afridi after scoring 65 off 53 but Zadran stayed at the crease and took the game close for his team with his 87-run knock off 113 balls. After Zadran’s fall, Rahmat Shah also exuded confidence with his bat and scored an impressive half-century. Shah got the support of his skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi, who racked up an unbeaten 48 off 45 deliveries and took the team home.
4. New Zealand- 8/10
New Zealand lost their first game of this World Cup with their four-wicket loss at the hands of India in Dharamshala. Against the Men in Blue, the Kiwi team couldn’t save 273 runs and ended up on the losing side for the first time in the tournament. At the toss, India skipper Rohit Sharma came out as a winner and invited the Black Caps to bat first.
Confronting India’s ferocious bowling attack, New Zealand lost their key opener Devon Conway in the fourth over of the game. The left-handed batter went back on a duck after facing nine deliveries. After the fall of both openers, Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell stood at the crease and brought their team back into the contest.
Ravindra returned to the pavilion after scoring 75 off 87 while Mitchell hit his first World Cup ton. Riding on the sensational performance of both batters, the Black Caps accumulated 273 runs at the end of their innings. New Zealand's batting line-up lacked discipline in this game as except for Ravindra and Mitchell, all other batters struggled in the contest.
3. India- 8.5/10
India are the only unbeaten side in this World Cup until now. They clinched a four-wicket win against New Zealand in Dharamshala and won their fifth consecutive game in the tournament. In the upcoming weeks, their endeavours will be to win their remaining game and advance to the knockouts with ease.
In this tournament, Indian batters are playing their part efficiently. Captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are consistently dominating bowlers which is a great sign for the Men in Blue. Against New Zealand, India chased down 274 runs in 48 overs and won their first game against the Black Caps in the International Cricket Council (ICC) tournament after 20 years.
Kohli notched up 95 off 104 in this massive game and guided the team to the scintillating win. Captain Rohit also came heavily on the Kiwi bowlers and contributed 46 runs to the side in 40 deliveries. In the absence of Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja also chipped in with his unbeaten 39-run innings off 44 deliveries. Shreyas Iyer looked effective with his bat, hitting 33 off 29 balls. Shubman Gill and KL Rahul also displayed confidence with 26 (31) and 27 (35), respectively.
2. Australia- 8.5/10
Australia have made a comeback in this tournament, winning three consecutive games after losing their first two matches. In week three, the Aussies bagged a 62-run win against Pakistan in Bengaluru and announced their return to this competition. Playing this game, the Aussie openers David Warner and Mitchell Marsh flexed their muscles and took Pakistan’s bowling unit to the cleaners.
Batting first after losing the toss, the Aussie side looked ruthless towards Pakistan bowlers and hit 367 runs in their 50 overs. Warner, who became the leading run-getter in this game with his 163-run knock off 124 balls, was dropped on 10 by Usama Mir. Taking advantage of Usama’s blunder, the Aussie southpaw punished Pakistan bowlers and played a notable knock of his World Cup career.
The sensational win against Pakistan instilled confidence in the Aussie side as they took their form ahead in Delhi and pummelled the Netherlands by 309 runs. This success also placed the Aussies on the top of the list of sides with the heaviest wins (in terms of margin) in the World Cup.
In this extraordinary triumph, Australian batters dominated the Orange Army with their attacking performance. Warner scored his second century of the competition while Glenn Maxwell scored 106 off 44 and notched up the fastest World Cup ton.
1. South Africa- 9/10
South Africa are playing a fierce brand of cricket in this tournament. In the third week, the Proteas handed England a 229-run defeat. The South Africa team went to the contest against the defending champions after losing to the Netherlands in Dharamshala.
Taking on the English side at the iconic Wankhede Stadium, South Africa looked completely different side from their previous game. In Mumbai’s hot and humid conditions, Heinrich Klaasen scored 109 off 67 and became the Player of the Match. Marco Jansen reinforced the lower-middle-order with his unbeaten knock of 75 off 42. Reeza Hendricks, who filled captain Temba Bavuma’s shoes, also gave a perfect start to the team after Quinton de Kock’s early dismissal.
Hendricks scored 85 off 75 and also stitched a 121-run stand with Rassie van der Dussen, who scored 60 runs in the game. Aiden Markram led the team from the front in Bavuma’s absence, playing a pivotal innings of 42 off 44. The excellent work of the batters helped the Proteas pile up 399 runs in 50 overs and have a command over the contest.
After thumping England, the Proteas registered a giant 149-run win over Bangladesh and won their fourth match of the tournament. In this game, South Africa scored 382 runs, and De Kock played a 174-run innings off 140 deliveries and became the wicketkeeper batter with the highest individual score in the World Cup. Klassen also played a rapid knock of 90 off 49 in this game.
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