ICC World Cup Qualifier: West Indies are enduring a challenging contest, as a result of their consecutive defeat in the ICC World Cup Qualifiers, thus now they have moved down to the third position, underneath Netherlands and Zimbabwe. The game was tipping in West Indies favor, and at one stage it seemed that the West Indies would seal the victory, however the opponents Startled us all, as Logan Van Beek ensured the Netherland’s triumph. Van Beek smashed three sixes and three fours in a thrilling super over, to secure the win.
West Indies pulled up 374 runs, Nicolas Pooran and Brandon King’s magnificent innings facilitated WI to surpass 300 runs. Pooran remained unbeaten at 104 off just 65 balls. However, Netherlands did not despair, as they came out assertive, and outplayed the West Indies.
Initially, the partnership between Max O’Dowd and Vikramjit Singh gave Netherlands a flier start, and then came Teja Nidamanuru and Scott Edwards, dynamic duo. Teja Nidamanuru achieved a century at a crucial moment, aiding the Netherlands to transcend 300 score, subsequently Van Beek played a vital role in helping the Netherlands reach the ultimate goal, however, they fell just one run short of victory as the game proceeded to the super over, where Netherlands triumph over West Indies by 22 runs.
Logan Van Beek was handed the Man Of The Match for his phenomenal innings of 30 in 6 balls and wickets of Johnson Charles and Romeo Shephard, at super over, that aided Netherlands to seal the win, on Monday. His contributions with both bat and bowl made him the key player for Netherland, and will prove to be fruitful in the upcoming games.
In group A Netherlands and Zimbabwe are sitting in the top 2, while USA, West Indies and Nepal are fighting fiercely to qualify.
West Indies Might Not Qualify For the ICC World Cup
West Indies has lost 2 out of 4 matches, and it appears improbable to qualify for the ICC World Cup. West Indies is not only required to beat Oman, Scotland and Sri-Lanka but they need to also hope that no other teams end up with more than eight points in the super sixes point table. If West Indies failed to qualify it would be the first time ever to happen.So, if they want to book a ticket for India they have to pull up something special.
Hooper, the West Indies coach, has displayed stress over the performance by his team, the nation which has secured two ICC trophies, is now struggling to even qualify. He claims that it’s a shame to be ranked at the bottom even Afghanistan and Bangladesh are ahead of them. He expressed disbelief that he would witness this day, but he acknowledged the team’s diligent efforts and their determination to bounce back.
Zimbabwe and Netherlands are in advantageous positions as they have won at least 3 out of 4 matches, and they might end up as the two teams to qualify. If Zimbabwe qualify this year, it will be their ninth time on stage, in this highly-tensed competition, they recorded their best ever result in 1999, when they landed in the fifth position. It will be riveting to witness the teams that will qualify for the ICC World Cup, starting from 5th October onwards in India.
