The 2nd ODI between New Zealand and Sri Lanka, on Tuesday, in Christchurch, was abandoned without a ball being bowled thanks to persistent rain. This has made Sri Lanka’s path to directly qualifying for the World Cup 2023 even more difficult than it had been already.
After losing the 1st ODI vs New Zealand and now this washout, which meant both teams shared 5 World Cup Super League points, SL now have 81 Super League points sitting at the 9th spot.
The top 8 teams in the Super League points table qualify directly for WC 2023.
Sitting at the 8th spot and with all their games completed are West Indies with 88 points. Sitting at the 10th spot with 2 ODI vs Netherlands left is South Africa with 78.
If South Africa win both their matches against the Netherlands, both at home, the Proteas will go to 98 points and will qualify for the ICC WC 2023 as SL now with only one ODI left can at maximum go to 91 points.
So now, the 3rd ODI of NZ VS SL will be must win game. However, even if they win in the 3rd ODI, they are likely to be pushed down by South Africa, who host the Netherlands for 2 ODIs on March 31 and April 2.
For South Africa, the road to directly go to the WC 2023 in India has been made much simpler by rain in Christchurch.
Sri Lanka can miss direct qualification for World Cup 2023
Aiden Markram’s team, though, haven’t yet forgotten the loss they were handed by the Netherlands in the T20 World Cup in Australia not to long ago when the Dutch stopped South Africa’s march to the semi-final and knocked them out, helping Pakistan reach the semi-final.
That’s why South Africa have announced a fully-strong ODI squad to take on the Netherlands, with many of those players even set to miss the initial one or two matches in the IPL for their respective franchises.
Apart from themselves winning the 3rd ODI against the Kiwis, SL are hoping that South Africa lose at least one of the 2 ODIs against the Netherlands, which is not impossible.
Ireland are also in contention with 68 points and 3 ODIs vs Bangladesh remaining. To topple South Africa, not only they will have to win all 3 matches but also improve their NRR to go above South Africa’s.
What happens to Sri Lanka if they don’t qualify?
There are 13 teams in the World Cup Super League, out of which the top 8 will directly qualify for the 10-team World Cup 2023.
Then the bottom 5 teams will play in a qualifying event along with five Associate sides – the tournament is called the 2023 Cricket World Cup Qualifier – and the top 2 teams from this tournament will join the rest 8 in the World Cup 2023 in India.
