England's losses open up qualification race

Are Australia definitely through to the semi-finals?

Yes, they are through for sure. There is a possibility that New Zealand and India finish on 13 points, and Australia, England and Sri Lanka end up on 12 points - but Sri Lanka would have won only five games, since two of their games were washed out. As number of wins is the first tie-breaker in the case of teams being tied on points, Sri Lanka will lose out.

Can England still qualify?

Defeats in their last two games have left the pre-tournament favourites with plenty to do in the last week of their group games. England will still qualify for sure if they win their last two matches, but they will get into slippery territory if they lose one of their remaining games - against India on Sunday, and against New Zealand on July 3. If they win one of those, they will finish on 10 points, which will then leave them at the mercy of other results, as there are up to five teams which could finish on more than 10.

For England to make it with only five wins, they will have to hope that 10 points is enough for the fourth spot. That could happen if Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh each lose at least one of their remaining matches. Then, Sri Lanka would finish on 10 points at the most, but would have only four wins to England's five, while Pakistan and Bangladesh would be stuck on nine. In that case, Australia, New Zealand, India and England will qualify.

If one of those three Asian teams win all of their remaining matches, then England will be left hoping that India lose all their remaining games and stay on nine. That, though, looks extremely unlikely.

How do England's successive defeats impact the other teams in the hunt for a semi-final spot?

England's plight is encouraging news for all the other teams which are in contention, as it lowers the cut-off bar. There is now hope for the teams that 11 points may be enough, or even nine, which gives more wriggle room for Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and even gives West Indies a sniff.

Are you saying that a team could qualify for the semi-finals with only nine points?

Yes, they could. For that to happen, though, England will have to lose both their remaining games and stay on eight. Then, up to three teams could finish level on nine points, fighting for the last semi-final spot. That could happen if West Indies win their three remaining matches, and Bangladesh and Pakistan lose one match each. Then, West Indies, Pakistan and Bangladesh will each finish on nine points. West Indies already have the best net run rate among them, and three wins should boost it further, giving them the best chance among these three teams.

England's defeats have obviously hurt their chances and their fans, but they have opened up the tournament. Barring Afghanistan and South Africa, all the other teams still have plenty to play for.