The West Indies will hope to get off to a good start in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier when they play the USA.
They want to keep their perfect record at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cups. Five years ago, the two-time winners came in second place to get to England, where they came in ninth. They went through the group stage without losing, and after a strong set of warm-up games, they’ll be sure they can do it again.
This month, they beat the UAE 3-0 in a series, then beat Scotland in Harare and then beat the UAE again for their fourth win in a month. Brandon King made the most runs in the UAE series, and Yannic Cariah took four wickets in each of the two warm-up games in Zimbabwe. This has given the team a lot of confidence before the game at Takashinga Cricket Club.
“I wouldn’t say that not qualifying would be a failure, but I wouldn’t look at it that way because I think we’ll definitely qualify,” said all-rounder Keemo Paul. “I don’t think of anything in life as a failure. It’s all about what you learn and how you move forward. I’m pretty sure of myself, and everyone else is, too. We’re ready for it, so I’m sure we’ll make the cut.”
The teams that won in 1975 and 1979 would worry less if they got off to a good start, but the USA will try to change that. They want to win their first ever ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup. This is their first Qualifier since 2005, and they did it by winning four out of five games in the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier Play-Offs.
Even though they lost to Ireland and Sri Lanka, the preparations have been very positive. For example, Aaron Jones scored 89 runs off of 87 balls against Ireland, and the 28-year-old hopes that qualification will continue to help grow the sport in the United States.
“On this team, I’m the one who holds the batting together, so I’ll be proud to do that and help my team get to the World Cup,” he said. “It would be great if our country could grow the sport and compete in World Cups. Not just for ourselves, but also so that young people can look up to us when we’re gone. It’s important for us to leave something behind.”
On the other hand, Zimbabwe started their bid to get back to the top of one-day cricket when they played Nepal on Sunday. The Chevrons didn’t make it to the 2019 event because they didn’t qualify, but they plan to make up for it in their home city of Harare. First, they have to beat Nepal. Nepal got to this stage by beating Namibia by one point in League 2 of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, where they won 11 of their last 12 games.
Zimbabwe was in good shape when they went to Harare Sports Club because they had won their two warm-up games against Oman and Scotland. Sikandar Raza was the key player for Pakistan against Oman, both with the bat and with the ball. He made an unbeaten century, retiring at 110 not out after 67 balls, and then took three wickets for 43 runs, including the key one of Ayaan Khan, who made 91. Raza hit the most runs again against Scotland, and the hosts only needed 24.5 overs to beat their opponents’ score of 163. This gives Craig Ervine’s team a lot of confidence going into the first game.
Ervine said, “We’ve done a great job getting ready for the tournament.” “Cricket is about to get really exciting, and Sikandar Raza, Blessing Muzarabani, and Sean Williams are three interesting players to watch. It will be a great competition.”
Nepal needs to keep up the enthusiasm that got them this far, which started with their amazing qualification and continued with their win at the ACC Men’s Premier Cup in May. Warm-ups in Harare have also been promising. A dramatic loss to the UAE in the penultimate ball and a comfortable win over Oman by two wickets show how good they are with both bat and ball.
Sompal Kami is someone to keep an eye on after taking five wickets against Oman. Kushal Bhurtel scored a century in 94 balls. Asaf Sheikh had the most runs (76) in the loss to the UAE, and the wicket keeper-batter thinks his team has what it takes to make it to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup for the first time.
“Taking a look at the qualifiers, we think that if we play good cricket, we will win most of the games. It’s all about playing your best cricket on the best day, so we think we’ll win if we play our best on that day,” he said.
India
