Back into 2019 Cricket World Cup

(c)bleacherreport

England (337/7) beat India (306/5) by 31 runs on Sunday to move back into the top four of the 2019 Cricket World Cup standings, taking the advantage from Pakistan in the race for the knockout stages.

Jonny Bairstow and Rohit Sharma both scored centuries, but the hosts were far more clinical with the ball and the chase never truly got going. The loss was India's first of the tournament.

England now sit one point ahead of Pakistan in the race for the top four. A win over New Zealand on Wednesday will guarantee a spot in the knockout stages, while Pakistan will play their final match of the group stage on Friday, against Bangladesh. 

The hosts got a quick start from the pair of Bairstow (111 from 109) and Jason Roy (66 from 57), who combined for nine runs in the first over and built a steady partnership that lasted for nearly half the innings.

Roy was caught in the 23rd over, and Bairstow lasted until the 32nd, by which point the total was already up to 205, with plenty of big hitters still to come.

India's bowlers started to find their length in the middle overs, however, and the in-form Mohammed Shami started to do plenty of damage. He ended the match with an incredible five-wicket haul,

asprit Bumrah only took a single wicket, but he also limited England's batsmen to just 44 runs in his 10 overs

But England finished well, despite Bumrah's strong bowling. The hosts picked up some steam late, pushing the run rate back up thanks to excellent work from Ben Stokes (79 from 54).

He was caught in the final over, helping set a big target of 338.

England started well with the ball, and KL Rahul lost his wicket before he could get a run on the board, bringing Virat Kohli (66 from 76) into play. He and Sharma (102 from 109) couldn't build a rhythm early, and the Men in Blue scored just 28 from the first 10 overs.

Kohli and Sharma needed a lot of time to find their groove, but the chase started to come alive in the middle overs, highlighted by three straight boundaries from Sharma off Stokes to start the 26th over. Kohli lost his wicket in the 29th, however, by which point the Men in Blue desperately needed to up the pace. 

He lost his wicket soon after, however, with the hard-hitting Hardik Pandya (45 from 33) taking his place as the required run rate had risen to double digits. 

And despite his best efforts, England's bowlers remained in control, never giving the momentum to the Men in Blue. Liam Plunkett took three wickets, but Jofra Archer was the star of the show, giving up just 45 runs in his 10 overs.