Image Source: Wisden
West Indies, a once dominant force in cricket across all formats, faced a harsh reality check on Saturday at the Harare Sports Club in Zimbabwe. Their hopes of qualifying for the 2024 World Cup in India were shattered after a crushing seven-wicket defeat to Scotland in the Super Six stage. This loss marked the culmination of a series of setbacks for the two-time ODI World Cup champions, leaving them out of contention for the upcoming tournament in October. It was a stark reminder of how far they have fallen from their previous glory days.
Despite facing an uphill battle, West Indies’ hopes were further dashed as they struggled to put up a respectable scorecard. The Scotland attack proved formidable, striking early and reducing West Indies to a dismal 65 runs for the loss of four wickets within just seven overs. Nicholas Pooran attempted to steady the innings with a cautious 21 off 43 balls, but his dismissal proved costly.
A glimmer of hope emerged when Jason Holder and Romario Shepherd initiated a late fightback, forging a steady 77-run partnership. Holder contributed 45 runs off 79 deliveries, while Shepherd added 36 runs off 43. However, the dismissal of the No.8 batsman triggered a rapid collapse of the remaining batting lineup. In a blink of an eye, West Indies crumbled and could only manage a meagre total of 181 runs. It was yet another disappointing batting performance that contributed to their downfall.
West Indies‘ chances of qualifying for the 2024 World Cup were already hanging by a thread following their defeats against Zimbabwe and Netherlands. The latter match was an intense Super Over contest, resulting in the highest-scoring tied ODI. Their only victories in the group stage came against Nepal and the United States, which secured their spot in the Super Six stage of the Qualifiers tournament. However, due to the rules, they couldn’t carry forward the points earned from those wins.
With Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe maintaining their unbeaten streaks in the Super Six stage, West Indies’ only hope rested on bouncing back to winning ways and relying on external factors to work in their favour. Unfortunately, they failed to seize the opportunity within their control, relinquishing their fate to luck in their quest to qualify for the 2024 World Cup.
In A Nutshell
The 2024 Men’s ODI World Cup will mark the first time that West Indies, two-time winners of the tournament, will not be participating. They were the second team to be eliminated in the Super Six stage, following Oman’s elimination. Currently, Sri Lanka and the Netherlands are in a favourable position to qualify for the World Cup in India, as both teams have accumulated six points from three matches. Scotland is also a contender, having secured four points in three matches and currently standing in third place. The Netherlands holds the fourth position with two points from three games.
The dismal performance has sparked concerns among Caribbean fans. The team’s struggles were evident in the 2020 T20 World Cup in Australia, where they failed to advance beyond the group stage, facing defeats against Scotland and Ireland. This downward trend has raised alarm bells in the region, as West Indies seeks to regain its former dominance in international cricket.
