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The ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier is moving into the Super Sixes stage as the top three teams from both groups will be seen taking on each other in the Super Sixes stage. From Group A, Zimbabwe, Netherlands and West Indies have qualified for the next stage. West Indies’ campaign has become the talk of the town as they’ve been on a see-saw ride in the competition.
The Shai Hope-led side started their campaign with a 39-run victory over USA. Batting first, they posted 297 runs on the board and later restricted the opposition to 258/7 in their allotted 50 overs.
The ‘Men in Maroon’ got another win under their belt as they beat Nepal by 101 runs in the second game. West Indies batters once again stamped their authority on the opposition and posted a monumental total of 339/7 on the board. In the second innings, they bundled out Oman for 238 and sealed their second successive win.
Just when everything looked great for the two-time ODI World Cup winners, their campaign went downhill. They were handed a 35-run loss at the hands of the hosts Zimbabwe in their third game. Batting first, the Craig Ervine-led side could only manage to post 268 runs on the board. However, in the second innings, the hosts stunned the Windies and bundled them out for 233 to secure a famous win.
In the last group fixture, Netherlands further rubbed the salt into West Indies’ wounds by beating them in a super over. Both teams were tied on 374 after their respective 50 overs, however, Netherlands hammered 30 runs in the super over and restricted West Indies to just eight runs in reply.
Losses against Zimbabwe and the Netherlands mean that the West Indies will not carry any points to the Super Sixes stage and need to win their remaining three games against the teams from the other group namely Sri Lanka, Scotland and Oman. The Shai Hope-led side have their backs against the wall and need to bring their ‘A game’ to the fore in order to progress ahead in the tournament or else their World Cup dream will get crushed.
Nicholas Pooran (296 runs) and Shai Hope (263 runs) have been in top form with the bat for their side. With the ball, Alzarri Joseph (8 wickets) and Akeal Hosein (6 wickets) have been top performers. The ‘Men in Maroon’ desperately need them to fire in the Super Sixes stage as well to keep their qualification hopes alive.
