West Indies, the champions of the first two ODI World Cups, suffered a shock and sad defeat from the ongoing ICC World Cup Qualifier 2023 on Saturday, July 2. Chasing a mammoth target, Oman’s run also ended after a narrow 14-run defeat to Zimbabwe. 333 run target.
Now four teams, hosts Zimbabwe, former World Cup champions Sri Lanka and two emerging European sides Scotland and Netherlands, will have two matches each to know their fate for the 50-over mega tournament starting October 5 in India.
Sri Lanka are currently at the top of the Super Six Round points table with six points and a strong net run rate while Zimbabwe are at the second spot. Scotland, who beat West Indies in their last game, moved up to the third spot with four points, while the Netherlands remained fourth with two points. So, what does each team need to do to get a ticket to India?
ICC World Cup Qualifier 2023 Super Six Scenario:
Sri Lanka
Dasun Shanaka-led side survived an embarrassing defeat against Netherlands in their first Super Six round game and continued to top the points table with a very strong net run rate. Their next match will be against Zimbabwe and in their last match they will take on West Indies. A win against Zimbabwe would seal their place in the World Cup and also consolidate the top spot.
If they lose against Zimbabwe, they will still be in the race for qualification and fate will be in their own hands. A win against the West Indies will get them an India ticket as their impressive net run rate could play a big role in the qualification race. If they lost both of their remaining matches, they would still be in the running, but Scotland would have to lose one of their remaining games.
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe are level with Sri Lanka in the Super Six round table and both the teams face each other in their next game. A win would confirm their qualification spot and replace Sri Lanka at the top. A defeat will not hurt much as they face Scotland in their last match and a win against the British team will be enough to secure a place in the World Cup.
If they lose both of their Super Six fixtures, Scotland will need to lose their last game against the Netherlands at any cost to secure World Cup qualification.
Scotland
Unlike Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, Scotland depend on the results of other teams, even if they win their remaining two Super Six round fixtures against Zimbabwe and the Netherlands. If Sri Lanka win against Zimbabwe and Scotland lose against Zimbabwe, they will be out of the qualifiers as they cannot reach eight points without winning both games.
Netherlands
The Netherlands are currently fourth in the Super Six round table with just two points and face Oman and Scotland in their remaining two qualifier games. They will have to win both their games and rely heavily on other teams’ results, which won’t be enough due to their poor negative net run rate.