Zimbabwe will not be playing in their second ICC World Cup in as many editions after they suffered a shock 31-run loss to Scotland in the Super Six match of the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers on Tuesday (July 4).
Set a target of 235 to win after they elected to bowl first, Zimbabwe suffered a collapse that saw them dismissed for 203 in 41.1 overs – and mathematically eliminated from contention for the top 2 places.
The CWC Qualifiers format is such that the two top teams from the Super Six not only make it to the final of the tournament, but also more importantly go on to qualify for the 2023 edition of the World Cup.
Also Read: Most Cricket World Cup Final Losses List Since 1975
As things stand, Zimbabwe have missed out on qualification not only in 2019 but also in 2023 – but it is this latest one that will sting more.
They had the advantage of playing in front of partisan home crowds, and it clearly had an impact on the players as they played some sublime cricket to breeze into the Super Sixes.
What’s more, they were allowed to carry over the most points from the group stages but two losses – a heavy one to Sri Lanka and a close one to Scotland – has now put them out of contention.
To make things worse, there were a lot of missed opportunities for the home side. They had Scotland very much on the ropes, taking regular wickets in the first innings.
Also Read: Cricket World Cup 2023: Will India’s ICC Jinx End?
And at one point, Scotland were 170-7 in 43.1 overs – yet they went on to score a competitive score of 234-8 in their 50 overs. Yes, they really batted out their full quota of overs.
In response, Zimbabwe collapsed early on. By the end of the 8th over, they were 37-4 and by their 18th over they were 91-5. What’s more, they had lost their best batsmen in Craig Ervine, Sean Williams and Sikandar Raza.
Yet a fighting 83 from Ryan Burl as well as a good 40 from Wesley Madhevere helped them stay in the game – but not for long.
Once Burl and Madhevere were gone, it seemed liked a matter of time – and so it proved, as the final wicket fell in the start of the 42nd over.
As things stand, the winner of the Netherlands vs Scotland match will qualify – although Scotland can qualify with a loss too, due to the math involved.
Also Read:
1) Ind Vs Pak ODI World Cup History
2) List of ICC Trophies won by India