Top 5 teams who will not be playing the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup
England and Wales will be hosting the twelfth edition of cricket's greatest spectacle in the summer of 2019 across eleven venues. In the eleven editions of the showpiece event so far, there have been many unforgettable moments which the fans will cherish for the rest of their lives. From being a 60 over World Cup in whites to 50 over tournament under the lights, the game's grandest stage has come a long way.
We have witnessed closely contested eight team as well as 16 team World Cup over the years. But with the ICC resorting to a 10 team World Cup in 2019, some of the top teams that featured in the past editions of the tournament will not be seen next summer. Let us now look at five teams every cricket fan will miss in the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup to be held England and Wales.
1) Zimbabwe
The African Nation's first ever Cricket World Cup appearance was way back in England in the 1983 edition of the tournament. It was the third edition of the game's biggest spectacle and England played hosts to it for a third consecutive time after hosting the inaugural edition in 1975 and the subsequent edition four years later. The former England and India coach, Duncan Fletcher captained the Zimbabwean side that comprised of players like Andy Pycroft and David Houghton. Though they won their first ever World Cup game against the mighty Australians by 13 runs at Nottingham, they finished last in the four-team Group B standings.
The win against Australia was their only win in their inaugural World Cup appearance, as they lost the remaining five matches. In one of the group encounters against the eventual winners India, Zimbabwe were on course for a victory after restricting India to 17-5. But, skipper Kapil Dev's heroics (175* off 138) propelled India to a 31 run win at Tunbridge Wells. Zimbabwe exited the World Cup in group stages in the next three editions (1987, 1992 and 1996) before making it to the Super Six stage in 1999.
They went on to finish sixth in the 2003 edition when they co-hosted the ICC Cricket World Cup along with South Africa and Kenya. A series of poor performances saw them exiting the World Cup in group stages at the 2007 (West Indies), 2011 (India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh) and 2015 (Australia and New Zealand) editions. Zimbabwe failed to qualify for the 2019 World Cup after finishing third in the 2018 ICC Cricket World Cup qualifiers (which they hosted in March 2018) behind Afghanistan and West Indies. Having qualified for nine consecutive World Cups since 1983, the Zimbabweans will be missed when England and Wales hosts the tournament next summer.
ICC Cricket World Cup stats: Played- 58, Won-6, Lost-48, Tied-1, No Result-3