Belfast [Ireland], August 11 (ANI): After Afghanistan secured a direct spot in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2027, West Indies will once again need to battle through qualifiers for the third time in a row. The top eight teams in the ODI rankings, excluding two of the three World Cup co-hosts, South Africa and Zimbabwe, will automatically qualify for the tournament. Afghanistan joins defending champions Australia, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, England, Bangladesh, South Africa, and Zimbabwe after their victory at Belfast.
West Indies, currently ranked 10th in ODI rankings, face a tough challenge despite having two ODIs against India around the cutoff date. Even if they win these matches, it won’t be enough to secure automatic qualification. The qualifiers will begin next February, continuing West Indies’ long journey to the World Cup.
The team’s recent history is marked by disappointment. They were eliminated in the 2023 World Cup Super Six stage and missed their first-ever 50-over World Cup since 2013. This absence also kept them out of the ICC Champions Trophy, a competition they haven’t participated in since that year.
The qualifiers will feature two bottom-ranked Test-playing nations (Ireland and West Indies), top teams from the Cricket World Cup League Two, and those from the Challenge League—third-division cricket’s third tier. The format details remain undecided, but the top four qualifier playoff teams will advance to the final qualifiers.
Associate members like Scotland and the Netherlands have criticized this change as a setback for their cricket development, according to a joint statement released earlier this week.