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Brandon Moyo, Sports Reporter

ZIMBABWE will once again play in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricket World Cup Qualifier for next year’s One Day International (ODI) edition to be held in India with seven out of eight automatic spots taken up.

With the cut-off date for automatic qualification being March 31 2023, eight spots were up for grabs and seven of those have been filled with Zimbabwe having no chance of securing the remaining one. Host nation India have qualified together with New Zealand, England, Australia, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Having played 21 matches out of projected 24, the Chevrons are sitting second from the bottom in position 12 with 45 points from their games played. From the 21 points, Zimbabwe managed to win only four matches, losing 16 and one being a no result and behind them, Netherlands have 25 points from 19 matches.

ZIMBABWE will once again play in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricket World Cup Qualifier for next year’s One Day International (ODI) edition to be held in India with seven out of eight automatic spots taken up.

Of the four wins recorded by Zimbabwe, one came against Australia, which was the team’s first ever win in white ball cricket against the hosts Down Under. Dave Houghton and his men have however failed to avoid playing in the qualifiers next year where Zimbabwe and Netherlands have officially been demoted to.

The Chevrons, who have lost out on automatic qualification, will have to participate, once again, in the Cricket World Cup Qualifier which will be hosted in Zimbabwe from June 18 to July 9 next year where two slots will be up for grabs.

The Chevrons, who have lost out on automatic qualification, will have to participate, once again, in the Cricket World Cup Qualifier which will be hosted in Zimbabwe from June 18 to July 9 next year where two slots will be up for grabs.

Zimbabwe hosted the previous ODI World Cup qualifiers where they fell heartbreakingly close to the finish line. Defeat by three runs at the hands of the United Arab Emirates meant the Southern African nation was missing from the 50-over global showpiece for the first time since they made their debut appearance in the 1983 tournament held in England.

The remaining spot for next year’s World Cup will be contested by South Africa, West Indies, Ireland and Sri Lanka. South Africa have played 16 games and are left with three series to complete their cycle.

Of the four teams that have a chance of taking the remaining spot, the West Indies is the only one to have completed their 24 fixtures of the Super League and managed to get 88 points. For them to make it through, none of Ireland, Sri Lanka and South Africa should win more than two of their remaining matches.

For South Africa, they can qualify for the World Cup irrespective of other results if they win five games from their remaining fixtures. Three wins will be enough to take them through if Sri Lanka and Ireland don’t win more than two matches, but they have to win four if any of Sri Lanka and Ireland bag three wins. South Africa will be in a must-win scenario for their remaining five matches if Sri Lanka manage to win their remaining four.

Left with one match against Afghanistan and three against New Zealand, the Asian champions, Sri Lanka need to win at least three of their remaining matches to have a chance of booking a place automatically to India. However, their hopes will be clinging on to the outcomes from South Africa and Ireland’s matches.

For South Africa, they can qualify for the World Cup irrespective of other results if they win five games from their remaining fixtures