West Indies’ hopes of automatic qualification for next year’s ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup hinge on the performance of other teams after the Caribbean team’s penalty for a slow pace against New Zealand on Sunday.
West Indies were docked two Super League points for missing two runs to complete their overs in the allotted time, in the match that ended their Cricket World Cup Super League campaign. On-field umpires Joel Wilson and Leslie Reifer, third umpire Gregory Brathwaite and fourth umpire Nigel Duguid leveled the charge after the hosts lost by five wickets and captain Nicholas Pooran pleaded guilty to the offence. That means the West Indies drop to 88 points – a total unlikely to result in a top-eight finish at the end of the Super League cycle and a direct ticket to India.
The men in maroon were seventh on 80 points before the start of the ODI series against New Zealand, and after losing the series 2-1, they went to 90 points before the penalty brought them down to 88 points at a net run-rate . of -0.738.
Ireland (9th on 68 points) have a superior net rate to the West Indies and with wins worth ten points, two home wins over Bangladesh in their series next year would likely result in a higher finish .
Waiting for the blow, Australia (eighth on 70 points), Sri Lanka (10th on 62 points) and South Africa (11th on 49 points) all have multiple series left in the cycle that could give them the opportunity to finish over the West Indies.
A finish outside the top eight would mean West Indies’ route to India 2023 would be through Cricket World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe next year.
The bottom five teams of the Super League advance to the Qualifiers and are joined by the top three winners of the Cricket World Cup League 2 and the top two winners of the Cricket World Cup Qualifier Play-offs.
The next Super League action takes place in Australia, where the home team will face Zimbabwe from August 28 to September 3.
