Source: ICC
The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifiers group stage is set to end. Today’s matches in Group A will be the last for that group. Zimbabwe has qualified for the Super Six from Group A with 6 points after 3 games, followed by the Netherlands with 4 points after 3 games, and West Indies with 4 points after 3 games. Both Sri Lanka and Scotland have six points after three games, and they will play tomorrow. Oman has also advanced from Group B’s Super Six with 4 points in 4 games, joining Sri Lanka and Scotland. In this post, we’ll examine the teams most likely to advance to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup later this year in India.
Sri Lanka
Right now, Sri Lanka appears to be the overwhelming favourite to make it to the World Cup in India. Thanks to Wanindu Hasaranga, their bowling performance in the qualifiers has been the best of any team. Hasaranga tied the record for the most consecutive 5-wicket hauls in ODI cricket with his 16 wickets in three games. Tomorrow’s match against Scotland offers Hasaranga the opportunity to surpass Waqar Younis’ 1990 record.
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Additionally, their batters have been excellent. In their first match against the UAE, they scored 355 runs in the first innings, and in their subsequent match, they needed just 15 overs to reach Oman’s 98-run mark. They defeated Ireland yesterday by a massive margin of 133 runs, scoring 325 against them in the process.
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Zimbabwe
In the competition for a spot in the Cricket World Cup later in the year, Zimbabwe overtook the champions of the World Cups in 1975 and 1979 with a victory against the West Indies. With a victory versus the United States today, Zimbabwe might potentially enter the Super Six with 8 points. They will compete against Scotland, Oman, and Sri Lanka in the Super Six. If they defeat Scotland and Oman, they will advance to the finals ahead of West Indies. In the Qualifiers, their captain Craig Ervine is presently leading with the most runs. Ervine leads Sean Williams and Shai Hope of the West Indies and Dimuth Karunaratne of Sri Lanka by 2 runs each after scoring 218 runs.
Sikandar Raza, who took 4 wickets against the Netherlands before scoring a century in the second innings, has undoubtedly been their best player. Even in their historic victory over the West Indies, Raza scored 68 runs off 58 balls in the first innings and took 2 wickets, including the key one of Shai Hope, in the second. They have a chance to advance, and if the West Indies don’t win all of their remaining games, they might beat the defending champions to the playoffs.
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