WI face Afghanistan, aim to close in on Cup berth
MUMBAI: Twice world champions West Indies look to make a winning start and cement their position atop the Super Six table of the ICC World Cup Qualifier when they take on Afghanistan in Harare on Thursday.
The top two finishers in the Super Six table will qualify for the ICC World Cup to be held in England and Wales from May 30 May to July 14 next year.
The Windies have carried forward four points from their allwin effort in the group stage and are favourites against the Afghans, who also have no points after squeezing throught on better net run rate.
Afghanistan came into the tournament on the back of a 3-2 ODI series win over Zimbabwe.
But with regular skipper Ashghar Stanikzai forced out of the qualifiers to undergo appendicitis surgery, the team struggled under young spinner
Rashid Khan.
Despite shaky performances by in the group stages – West Indies were forced to toil for victories against lower-ranked Papua New Guinea and Netherlands -- skipper Jason Holder said he was happy his team has progressed to Super Six with full points.
“This is one box ticked. We have not only qualified but qualified going into the Super Six with four points. That was crucial.
“Everybody will be up for it (to face Afghanistan); it’s obviously a must-win game, a very important game.”
SCOTS CONFIDENT
Second-placed Scotland, defending champions, take on bottomplaced United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Bulawayo, having carried three points into the Super Six compared to none by the latter.
Scotland skipper Kyle Coetzer said playing at Queens Sports Club will give his team an advantage.
“We are preparing for our first game against the UAE. We know they are a dangerous and tough team. Hopefully, we can use the advantage of having already played here in Bulawayo, so hopefully that can help us,” said Coetzer.
“Looking at the bigger picture of World Cup qualification is nice, but it can be a little bit dangerous. You can’t get there without doing the things leading up to it, but one game at a time is what we are looking at. This is important as we move to Harare as we have never played there before,” added Coetzer.
On Friday, hosts Zimbabwe (3 points) will meet Ireland (2 points) in Harare. Despite the home advantage, Zimbabwe captain Graeme Cremer is wary of the other sides. “We always play well at Harare Sports Club and we will also have massive home support to count on,” said Cremer.
Hong Kong, Papua New Guinea and Nepal will look to seal the one ODI spot available.
The top team among the three will join Netherlands, who qualified last year for the new 13-team ODI League commencing in 2020 by winning the ICC World Cricket League Championship.
Scotland and UAE have retained their ODI status until
2022 by reaching the Super Six.