After a fiercely contested battle between six teams for the coveted spot, the United States of America (USA) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) secured their berth for the upcoming ICC Men's Cricket ODI World Cup Qualifier. Both the teams emerged the top two teams after the ODI World Cup Qualifier Playoff.
While, USA remained the dominant team out of six as they clinched four out of their five matches, UAE had to rely on a crucial final-day victory over Jersey to seal their place in the all-important World Cup qualifier. Canada and hosts Namibia too showed grit with some exceptional performances by winning three games each, but at the end it was UAE and USA who had the last laugh. The tournament was full of individual brilliance, with Namibia's Gerhard Erasmus being named Player of the Tournament for his outstanding performances with the bat, while the USA's Ali Khan was the leading wicket-taker.
“It’s a great feeling to be able to progress to the Qualifiers in Zimbabwe, even though we see this as a big accomplishment for USA Cricket, we the players also know that it’s going to require lots of improvements for us to compete with the bigger teams.
The players and support staff has worked tirelessly prior and during this event, and the hard work paid off. As I said prior to the play-offs, we have an opportunity to play in two World Cups in less than twelve months, and this group continues to believe and work towards that goal," USA captain Monank Patel was quoted as saying by the ICC.
USA and UAE, along with eight other teams, will participate in a competition in Zimbabwe from June 18 to July 9. The competition will determine the final two spots in the mega event of ICC Men's Cricket World Cup.
“We are absolutely delighted to have confirmed our place for the qualifiers in Zimbabwe. Starting the tournament in Namibia, we had a clear objective of giving our best and playing positive and fearless cricket. I would like to thank the players and our entire support staff for I would like to thank their tireless efforts which have resulted in our success. Our batsmen have been exceptional for us in the recent past and have been supported very well by the bowlers and fielders. The entire team needs to perform at the same level and show the same commitment and passion to excel in Zimbabwe,” said UAE captain Mohammed Wasim.
In the qualifying tournament, the three automatic qualifiers from ICC CWC League 2 – Scotland, Oman and Nepal will be present in addition to the bottom five teams in the ICC ODI Super League. Currently, Netherlands, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, West Indies are confirmed to feature in the qualifiers in Zimbabwe, while Ireland need to beat Bangladesh 3-0 in their upcoming Super League series to leapfrog South Africa and qualify directly for the World Cup.
Meanwhile, it has been learnt through some reports that the 2023 ODI World Cup, which will be held in India, is expected to kick off from October 5 with the final to be held at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on November 19.
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