EXPLAINED: How Does Cricket World Cup Points Table System Work And NRR Is Calculated?

New Zealand are on top of the Points Table after their emphatic win over Afghanistan in World Cup. Know all about the formula which decides the points table system and the Net Run Rate.

World Cup Points Table

After their dominant win over Afghanistan in Match 16 of the Cricket World Cup 2023, New Zealand have eclipsed India to jump to top of the ODI World Cup 2023 Points Table. Earlier, despite both teams being on six points, India were on top because of the Net Run Rate (NRR). What is NRR? We will explain later on in this article. Firstly, let's tell you more about World Cup Points Table system and how it works. 

Cricket World Cup 2023 Points Table

As told earlier, New Zealand are on top of the table with 8 points as they have won 4 out of 4 matches so far in the World Cup. India are next with 6 points. South Africa, despite losing to Netherlands, are third in the table followed by Pakistan. England are on fifth spot, Bangladesh on the sixth. Australia got off to a bad start, losing two games on the trot but they won their last match and have jumped to seventh spot. The last 3 spots belong to Netherlands, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka respectively.

How is this World Cup Points Table decided?

The points table system has a simple working. The teams with most wins are usually at the top and those with lower points are below. There are two points to be won for every team for every win. In case, there is a tie, both teams share a point each. Same for a scenario when the game is washed out due to rain. 

Men in Blue _ Bangladesh Tigers

Can Shakib Al Hasan's team break India's undefeated home record against Bangladesh?

Tune in to watch__ https://t.co/ObsrEL7rXl#CWC23 | #INDvBAN pic.twitter.com/HyDtzHsdle

— ICC (@ICC) October 19, 2023

Hence, the number of points, largely, decide which teams are placed where in the table. For example, New Zealand have won all four matches and hence, they are on top. 

But what if more than two eams have the same number of points?

Let's use the current World Cup points table to understand this scenario. Before New Zealand beat Afghanistan on Wednesday, they were second in the table with 6 points from 3 matches. India were on top with same points in same matches. What made Men In Blue jump to top was the superiod NRR. 

How is the NRR calculated?

While many fans discuss NRR doing these multi-nation tournaments, not many know how it is calculared. So, here's the math: the Net Run Rate is derived when you take the average runs per over scored by a team in each game and subtract it with the average runs per over scored against that team in each game. The average runs scored per over by a team is calculated when you divide the total runs scored in all the matches of the tournament with the total number of overs played by that team.