In the race to secure the final two qualifying spots for this year’s ICC World Cup, host nation Zimbabwe and former champions Sri Lanka find themselves in a favorable position, while the two-time winners West Indies face the risk of missing the tournament for the first time.
Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka head into the crucial Super Six stage with four points each, having won all four of their group matches. Zimbabwe’s strong batting performances, including a national record-breaking score of 408-6 against the US, give them confidence as the stakes get higher.
Sean Williams, Zimbabwe’s standout batsman, has been in phenomenal form, accumulating 390 runs, including an unbeaten century against Nepal and a score of 91 against the Netherlands. Craig Ervine and Sikandar Raza have also contributed centuries, while Raza’s off-spin has accounted for eight wickets. The team’s bowling attack is spearheaded by left-arm quick Richard Ngarava.
Although Zimbabwe will shift their matches from Harare to Bulawayo, they can still rely on the support of their home crowd, which they consider to be their “12th man.”
Sri Lanka, the 1996 world champions, had a relatively smooth journey through the group stage but now face a confident Dutch side boosted by their astonishing super over victory against the West Indies. Leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga has been outstanding, picking up 18 wickets and emulating the achievements of Pakistan great Waqar Younis with three consecutive five-wicket hauls in ODIs.
Meanwhile, the West Indies, who won the first two World Cups in 1975 and 1979, find themselves in a precarious position after back-to-back defeats against Zimbabwe and the Netherlands. To have any chance of qualifying, they must beat Scotland, Oman, and Sri Lanka.
Daren Sammy, the coach of the West Indies team and former captain who led them to two T20 World Cup victories, acknowledges the challenges ahead and understands that significant improvements will take time. The team’s recent struggles reflect the state of West Indies cricket, and Sammy believes there is a lot of work to be done.
The Netherlands and Scotland, both starting with two points, are also in contention. The Dutch team has not appeared in the World Cup finals since 2011, while Scotland missed out four years ago due to a controversial lbw decision.
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