England Loses to India by 100 Runs as Cricket World Cup Nightmare Continues
India's unbeaten streak in the Cricket World Cup continued as Mohammed Shami delivered a stunning opening spell, propelling the hosts to victory by 100 runs and inflicting further misery on England's disarrayed defense in the tournament.
Key points: England lost four games in a row and was dismissed for less than 200 runs three times in a row. Defending champions have one win in six matches. England's next game is against Australia on Saturday. Shami and Jasprit Bumrah broke through England's top order, showcasing a dazzling display of pace and smooth movements after India was put in to bat and scored just 9-229 in 50 overs on a challenging pitch, with the top performer Rohit Sharma scoring 87 runs out of 101 balls.
This total proved to be more than enough for India to defend.
Shami finished with figures of 4-22 in seven overs, while Bumrah returned 3-32 in 6.5 overs, as England suffered yet another collapse, scoring 129 runs in 34.5 overs, suffering their fifth defeat in six games.
This was England's fourth consecutive defeat – following games against Afghanistan, South Africa, and Sri Lanka – and their third consecutive result below 200.
England stumbled after their opening batsmen made 30 runs, which was the highest partnership in the chase.
Bumrah dismissed David Malan in the fifth over with 16 runs, and Joe Root was caught LBW on a golden duck - right in front, shuffling across the stumps.
After Bumrah missed out on a hat-trick, Shami found himself at the other end, as Ben Stokes succumbed to fatigue and was bowled out in the eighth over for 10 off 10 balls.
In the very first ball of the next over, Shami castled Johnny Bairstow, and England slumped to 39-4 after 9.1 overs.
In their first powerplay, England lost at 4-9 in 26 balls, with Liam Livingstone top-scoring with 27 off 46.
England, known for their remarkable chases at the Test level during the so-called "Cric-Ball" era under Brendon McCullum's leadership, has only managed to secure one win in the tournament when they chased down Bangladesh in their second match.
"However we are playing at the moment, we're failing," said England captain Jos Buttler.
England is at the bottom of the table, sharing just one win with Bangladesh, the only team England has defeated in this tournament.
Meanwhile, India continues to be highly regarded as the only unbeaten team in the Cricket World Cup.
The hosts top the table with 12 points from six games, leading second-placed South Africa by two points, while New Zealand and Australia are trailing by an additional two points.
England, the 2019 champions, remain at the bottom with two points and just one win in six games.
Australia in 1992 is the only reigning champion to lose four or more matches at a Cricket World Cup.