Great concern for England Cricket, competence for the 2027 World Cup may be suspicious. Here is the reason

After the annual update last week, the UK ranks eighth in the ICC men ODI ranking, and according to Wisden, the 2027 ODI increased concerns about their direct adequacy for the World Cup. The ranking update with each match and series, but the annual update reduces the effect of matches older than one year and eliminates more than three years of consequences. As a result, the UK fell to the eighth place in ODI, although it climbed to number 2 in the test ranking. Between May 4, 2024 and May 4, 2025, they only won three wins in 14 ODI and gave them 0.272 winnings – better than Nepal and Bangladesh.

This decline may affect the ways to the next World Cup. The 2027 edition will include 14 teams. South Africa and Zimbabve have already secured their place as a common host. Namibya, which is another host, will not get automatic entry because only ICC full member servers get this benefit.

The other eight teams will be entitled directly in the ODI ranking except the host countries. These rankings will be locked on March 31, 2027. As it is now, the teams will be the Indian islands of India, New Zealand, Australia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan, England and West Indian.

The remaining four places will be filled with the qualifying tournament. In this event, there will be 10 teams, including rankings after the first eight, and the landlords – Bangladesh and Ireland.

Britain, which is currently a ranking point in front of the Ninth West Indian Islands, is not yet outside the danger zone. The two sides will confront the upcoming three -match ODI series and the results may cause more changes in the ranking. A series of losses may see that Britain has fallen under the West Indian Islands and is approaching the qualitative danger.

If the UK fell to the eighth below the segment in 2027, they will have to have a world cup qualifiers-risk route. The West Indian Islands watched this path for the 2023 edition and did not qualify after it was knocked out by Sri Lanka and the Netherlands.

Although Britain is likely to reach the tournament even if it passes through qualifiers, it opens uncertainty – something will be willing to avoid the new Captain Harry Brook. The UK has never missed a World Cup of more than 50, and it will be the most important priority to ensure that the recording remains intact.

(Except the title, this story is not arranged by NDTV personnel and was published from a syndicated feed.)