Cricket World Cup winners and losers: Beyond the games week 4 | Cricket News

With only a few matches left in the initial league stage of the Cricket World Cup, it’s becoming clearer which teams will progress to the semifinals. That clarity doesn’t extend to the skylines of India’s two biggest cities, as air quality takes a seasonal turn for the worse.
Winners
1. Jay Shah, who heads the organization governing cricket in India, declared that fireworks displays wouldn’t be held for matches in Delhi and Mumbai because of pollution.While Delhi has long faced unhealthy air, it is turning into a major issue for India’s commercial capital as well. Skipping fireworks may at least avoid exacerbating the problem in the days leading up to the Diwali holiday.

2. Diwali, and India’s festival season more generally, is typically a time when customers open their wallets for big purchases like home appliances and TVs. The timing of the Cricket World Cup is giving an extra boost to credit demand, according to Umesh Revankar, executive vice chairman at Shriram Finance Ltd., who hailed the impact of “cricket fever” during the lender’s earnings call last week.
3. Fans of Sachin Tendulkar, widely recognized as one of the greatest batters in the sport’s history and a member of India’s parliament, would have been elated to see a statue dedicated to the sportsman at Mumbai’s Wankhede stadium ahead of the India-Sri Lanka match on Thursday.

Losers
1. Pakistan were edged out by South Africa in a tight match last Friday. On social media, former India bowler Harbhajan Singh weighed in on a crucial call that went against the South Asian side.

2. Another team that’s lost some steam recently: New Zealand, who suffered a third straight loss on Wednesday. Their defeat may have given Pakistan fans some hope. Saturday’s game between the two sides will go a long way toward determining who will qualify for the semifinals.