West Indies: Decoding their sorry run in World Cup Qualifiers
With the defeat against Scotland, West Indies bowed out of the race to qualify for the ICC Cricket World Cup in India later this year. WI suffered a seven-wicket defeat against Scotland in the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers 2023 in Harare. This was their third consecutive defeat in the Qualifiers which served as a final blow to their World Cup dreams. Here's more.
West Indies miss out on 2023 ODI World Cup
After this result against Scotland, WI can now only reach four points in the Super Six. Therefore they are out of the race to qualify for the main event. This is the first time they will miss a World Cup event (50 or 20 overs format). The Windies have won the showpiece event twice (1975, 1979). They finished ninth in the 2019 edition.
WI started with wins over USA and Nepal
WI flexed their muscles against minnows USA and Nepal and registered two wins in their first two group-stage fixtures. They defeated the USA by 39 runs as they posted 297 and bundled the Americans for only 258/7. Windies got the better of Nepal by 101 runs. They posted a mammoth 339/7 before folding Nepal for only 238. Nicholas Pooran and Shai Hope slammed centuries.
WI suffered their first defeat against Zimbabwe
On the back of two consecutive wins, WI aimed to continue their momentum against Zimbabwe as they folded Zimbabwe for only 268. Keemo Paul starred for WI with figures of 3/61 while Sikandar Raza slammed a 58-ball 68. In reply, WI could only manage 233 as the Zimbabwean bowlers were brilliant. Tendai Chatara claimed 3/52 while only Kyle Mayers crossed the 50-run mark.
WI lost the Super Over thriller against Netherlands
The most exciting match of the Qualifiers was between Netherlands and WI. The Netherlands won the super-over clash by 22 runs Windies posted a big total of 374/6 batting first. However, the Dutch tied the score and forced a Super Over. In the Super Over, Logan van Beek hammered Jason Holder for 30 runs and then scalped two wickets to kill the contest.
Third consecutive defeat for WI, as they lose to Scotland
Their third consecutive defeat in the Qualifiers came against Scotland, which eventually knocked WI out of the race to qualify for the World Cup. Scotland skittled WI for only 181 as only Holder showed some fight as Brandon McMullen claimed 3/32. In reply, despite losing Christopher McBride early, McMullen and Matthew Cross slammed fifties as Scotland registered a seven-wicket triumph over the two-time champions.
