Sri Lanka’s direct qualification to ICC ODI World Cup ends in loss to New Zealand
New Zealand defeated Sri Lanka by six wickets in the final ODI match on Friday, ending Sri Lanka’s hopes of directly qualifying for this year’s ICC ODI World Cup in India. Sri Lanka will now have to compete in a 10-team qualifying competition in Zimbabwe in June and July.
Chasing 158 for victory in Hamilton, New Zealand lost two wickets in the second over, but they overcame the shaky start and reached their target with 103 balls remaining. Will Young remained unbeaten at 86, while Henry Nicholls scored an unbeaten 44.
Sri Lanka chose to bat first after winning the toss, but only three players made notable scores. Pathum Nissanka, the opening batsman, scored 57 runs, skipper Dasun Shanaka scored 31 runs, and Chamika Karunaratne scored 24 runs. Matt Henry, Henry Shipley, and Daryl Mitchell each bagged three wickets.
Sri Lanka’s missed opportunities
Sri Lanka received five points following the abandoned second ODI rather than the 10 a win would have offered, and they were docked a point for maintaining a slow over-rate during their 198-run defeat in the opener.
Seven teams, including India, have already secured their spots in the World Cup starting in October, with the West Indies occupying the final automatic qualification place in the Super League standings. South Africa and Ireland are also in contention.
Sri Lanka will now have to compete in a 10-team qualifying competition in Zimbabwe in June and July to secure their place in the World Cup.
Upcoming matches
New Zealand has also won the preceding test series 2-0, ending Sri Lanka’s hopes of reaching the World Test Championship final. The two teams will now face each other in a three-match T20I series, starting with the first match in Auckland on Sunday.
Sri Lanka’s loss to New Zealand has dashed their hopes of directly qualifying for the ICC ODI World Cup in India. They will now have to compete in a qualifying competition in Zimbabwe to secure their place. New Zealand’s convincing victory has also ended Sri Lanka’s chances of reaching the World Test Championship final.
