Both teams are wearing black armbands today to honor former England cricketer Graham Thorpe, who passed away earlier this month. Thorpe, who struggled with depression, tragically took his own life, as confirmed by his wife. Thorpe was a legendary England batter, having played 100 Test matches, and later worked as the team’s batting coach. England’s stand-in captain, Ollie Pope, announced before the game that the team would be paying tribute to him.

“We’ll be wearing black armbands throughout the game, and there will be a tribute to him before it starts. His passing has deeply affected a lot of people in the team. He was a great man, and I had the privilege of working with him as a batting coach for two or three years. One thing he said to me that I’ll always remember is, ‘Never let the runs you’re scoring define you as a person.’ At a tough time, that was exactly what I needed to hear. He was a people person, loved in the locker room, and he’s a huge loss to everyone—his family, the country, and the team. We’ll miss him and honor him this week,” Pope said.

Before the match, the teams lined up for a moment of applause before the national anthems, and the players will continue to wear black armbands throughout the game.

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As for the game itself, Sri Lanka is in trouble after choosing to bat first, losing three wickets for just six runs. Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, and Angelo Mathews are already out, and things are looking tough for the visitors.

Playing XIs

England: Daniel Lawrence, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (c), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith (w), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Matthew Potts, Mark Wood, Shoaib Bashir.

Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal (w), Dhananjaya de Silva (c), Kamindu Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Milan Priyanath Rathnayake.

Here is one permutation to illustrate how that could happen:

• New Zealand lose their remaining four matches and stay on eight.
• India win three of their four games, losing only to England, while South Africa beat all teams except India. Then, India (16) and South Africa (14) will take the top two spots.
• Australia beat New Zealand but lose their other matches, while Afghanistan beat Netherlands and Australia. Then both Australia and Afghanistan will finish on eight.
• Sri Lanka beat New Zealand and Afghanistan, while Pakistan beat Bangladesh and New Zealand. Then Sri Lanka and Pakistan will finish on eight too.
• England’s 10 points will be enough for third place in this scenario, with five teams on eight fighting for the fourth spot.

Does that mean that Pakistan will remain in contention even if they lose to South Africa tomorrow?

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It does. Pakistan currently have four points from five games, and if they lose on Friday, they too can only get up to 10 points. In fact, in the set of scenarios described above, if the result is reversed in the England vs Pakistan match on November 11 (the last league match for both teams), then Pakistan will take third spot on 10, while England will be one of five teams fighting for the fourth place on eight points.

What about India? Will they be guaranteed qualification if they beat England on Sunday?

A win on Sunday will maintain India’s spotless record in the tournament, and take their points tally to 12 from six matches. However, while the above example illustrates how eight might be enough for qualification, it’s also possible that 12 might not be sufficient. If India lose their remaining games and stay on 12, it’s possible for five other teams to join them there. It’ll then come down to net run rates.