3 reasons why West Indies' World Cup 2023 hopes could be over after loss to Netherlands in Qualifiers
Former two-time Cricket World Cup champions West Indies are on the verge of an early elimination from the Qualifiers this year. The Caribbean team may fail to make it to the mega event for the first time in the tournament's history.
West Indies played 24 matches in the ICC Cricket World Cup Super League from 2020 to 2023. The Men in Maroon could not perform consistently and ended up attaining the ninth position in the final standings. Only the top eight teams from the 13 participants earned a direct ticket to the World Cup 2023.
The remaining five teams joined five associate nations in the 2023 World Cup Qualifiers tournament. Fans expected West Indies to dominate the mega event, but they have zero points after two matches in the Super Sixes points table.
Although the Caribbean team still has to play three matches in the 2023 World Cup Qualifiers, here are three reasons why their qualification hopes are almost over now.
#1 West Indies have 1 match against Sri Lanka in the Super Sixes round
The biggest challenge for West Indies in the Super Sixes round will be against 1996 World Cup champions, Sri Lanka. The Islanders have been in red-hot form in Zimbabwe, having defeated Scotland, Oman, UAE, and Ireland comfortably in the group stage.
West Indies are in a do-or-die situation. They are fifth in the standings, and only the top two teams will make it to the World Cup in India. The Caribbean team will have to produce their best game against Sri Lanka on July 7 to keep themselves alive in the race.
Looking at the way the two teams have performed in this competition thus far, it will be a big surprise if the Sri Lankan team loses against West Indies.
#2 The loss against Netherlands would have hurt West Indies' confidence a lot
West Indies sent a full-strength squad for the 2023 CWC Qualifiers in Zimbabwe. On the other hand, the Netherlands missed some of their players due to their T20 Blast commitments in England.
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Netherlands triumphs over West Indies in an exhilarating Super Over showdown! 🎉🏏
Logan van Beek was named the Player of the Match for his all-round performance 👏
#WorldCupQualifier #WestIndies #Netherlands https://t.co/i4uiHO4Hcs
Still, the Dutch team, which managed only three wins in 24 matches of the Super League, was able to defeat West Indies. Notably, the Shai Hope-led side lost the match despite setting a 375-run target. It will be challenging for the West Indies to recover from such a defeat soon and produce their best performance in Super Sixes.
#3 West Indies' net run rate is -0.350
Even if West Indies win their remaining three matches, it is not guaranteed that they will make it to the mega event. The Men in Maroon will have to improve their net run rate and then hope that Zimbabwe beat Sri Lanka.
Sikandar Raza works his magic as Zimbabwe secures a victory over West Indies! 🔥
He was named the Player of the Match for his all-round performance! 👏
#WorldCupQualifier #Zimbabwe #WestIndies https://t.co/5B0BX60vV2
After Zimbabwe's win, if West Indies beat Sri Lanka by a big margin, both teams will have six points, and the team with the best net run rate will qualify. Sri Lanka's net run rate is +2.698 right now. It seems highly unlikely that West Indies will be able to overtake the Islanders' net run rate in the Super Sixes.