In preparation for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier, which is slated to begin today, the captains of ten different teams got together at a wildlife refuge in Harare called Wild is Life. There, they got up close and personal with Zimbabwe’s native animals.
The competition will take place from the 18th of June through the 9th of July, and at the end, two teams will be able to qualify for the World Cup that will be held in India this year. The first day of the tournament has two matches: the first one pits the hosts, Zimbabwe, against Nepal, while the second pits the West Indies against the United States. PHOTO: ICC
Carl Hooper, who captained the West Indies to two world championships, was quoted as saying on Saturday that the current world champions may go “even lower” if they were unable to qualify for the World Cup in 2023.
The once-mighty Caribbean side, who won the first two World Cups in 1975 and 1979, are now attempting to qualify for a second consecutive tournament and are expected to be among the favorites to make it to the global showcase that will be held in India later on this year.
They will, however, have very little room for mistake when they compete in the qualification round for ten teams that will begin on Sunday in Zimbabwe.
There are several nations in the field that are equally as strong as the West Indies in critical areas, but only two teams will make it through to the next round.
In addition, fellow past champions Sri Lanka are required to qualify, while teams like as Zimbabwe, Ireland, Scotland, and Nepal all have players who are capable of winning matches single-handedly.
“Is it possible to go any lower than this? Yes, we are able to go lower than this, and if we don’t qualify for the next round, we will go down another level, West Indies assistant coach Hooper told cricinfo.
“I never in a million years thought that I’d see the day when West Indies would be trying to qualify for major tournaments,” said the author.
Darren Sammy, a former captain who won the Twenty20 World Cup, was chosen as the new coach after Phil Simmons resigned in the wake of the disappointing performance at the Twenty20 World Cup in Australia in 2022. Hooper is now working with Sammy.
“The position hasn’t changed,” Hooper went on to say. “The point is that I sat in Australia, and we struggled to get through it in the T20s, and here we are in Zimbabwe,” he said. “The point is that we are in Zimbabwe.”
He continued by saying, “No disrespect to the other teams, but we’re competing against the likes of the United States of America, Nepal, and Scotland.” Even Afghanistan is more ahead of us, and Bangladesh has surpassed our accomplishments. Therefore, this is upsetting, and is there any way we can go lower? Yes, we are able to go further lower.
The West Indies were required to compete in qualifying matches in order to participate in the most recent World Cup, and they will kick off their campaign to compete in the 2023 tournament against the United States on Sunday.
Despite the fact that Sandeep Lamichhane is now out on bail for an alleged rape, it is expected that he would play a significant part in Nepal’s efforts to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in the country’s history.
On Sunday, Nepal will play the hosts, Zimbabwe, and spin spinner Lamichhane, who is 22 years old and was once the poster child for the development of cricket in Nepal, will be crucial to Nepal’s hopes.
According to Britant Khanal, who is the general manager of the Cricket Association of Nepal, “Lamichhane is an extremely important player for our team.”
In spite of the fact that there is a case pending against him in court, he has played very well in the most recent few matches.
Lamichhane is suspected of committing rape on a girl who was 17 years old and staying in a hotel room in Kathmandu in August of last year. He asserts that he has done nothing wrong.
He was removed from his position as captain of the national team and jailed, but in January he was released on bail, and Nepal later overturned the ban on him participating sports.
Lamichhane is permitted to travel outside of the country as part of the terms of his bail.
The captain of the Nepalese squad, Aasif Sheikh, has high expectations that the team would be able to capitalize on the momentum gained by their remarkable advancement to the qualifier.
Sheikh’s team took third place in World Cup League 2 after winning 11 of their last 12 matches and clinching qualifying for the tournament with a nail-biting nine-run (DLS) victory against UAE in Kathmandu as the light began to fade.
Sheikh said that making it to the qualifying round was an outstanding accomplishment.
To tell you the truth, I did not anticipate winning 11 of our last 12 matches. It was a collaborative effort, and each individual played a part. I get the impression that we are embarking on an incredible trip with our cricket.