Sri Lanka fails to seal ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 direct qualification [Update Post #24]

[Abdullah719]

Zimbabwe’s historic series win against Sri Lanka has given the West Indies a glimmer of hope of direct qualification for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 with the gap between two-time former world champions West Indies and 1996 champions Sri Lanka narrowed to 10 points on the MRF Tyres ICC ODI Team Rankings.

India defeated the West Indies by 3-1 and Zimbabwe overpowered Sri Lanka by 3-2, resulting in changes to the ODI team rankings, giving West Indies renewed hope in the race to the 30 September 2017 cut-off date for direct qualification for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.

Sri Lanka had entered the series against Zimbabwe, needing to win by 4-1 or better to secure a place in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2017. However, the eventual result has brought the West Indies back in contention as Sri Lanka has slipped from 93 points to 88 points, which, in turn, has meant the 16 points gap between the eighth and ninth ranked sides has been trimmed to 10 points.

According to the current Future Tours Programme, which is available here, Sri Lanka will now have a second chance to qualify directly for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 when it hosts India for a five-ODI series in August. And if Sri Lanka wins two or more matches in this series, then it will qualify automatically for the ICC’s pinnacle 50-over tournament, irrespective of how England and the West Indies series pans out.

However, Sri Lanka’s failure to win two matches against India, will mean the West Indies will still have a chance to avoid featuring in next year’s ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier.

If India beats Sri Lanka by 4-1, then the West Indies will have to win all five matches against England. But, if India sweeps all five ODIs against Sri Lanka, then the West Indies will need to beat England by 4-0 or better.

These permutations give tremendous context to the presently scheduled upcoming ODIs as Sri Lanka and the West Indies will be fighting tooth and nail to secure the eighth and last available automatic place in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. The remaining two places will be filed by the top two sides from the 10-team ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2018, which will be completed by the bottom four sides from the MRF Tyres ICC ODI Team Rankings, top four sides from the ICC World Cricket League Championship and top two sides from the ICC World Cricket League.

Meanwhile, Zimbabwe has received points boost following its 3-2 series win. For this achievement, Zimbabwe has earned five points, which has lifted it to 52 points – two behind 10th-ranked Afghanistan and 11 ahead of 12th-ranked Ireland.



In the MRF Tyres ICC ODI Player Rankings, there are a number of movements but the top five batsmen, bowlers and all-rounders have remained unchanged.

In the batting table, India’s Mahendra Singh Dhoni has moved up three places to 12th after scoring 154 runs in the series, while Ajinkya Rahane has been rewarded for finishing as the leading run-getter in the series with 336 runs with a jump of 13 places that has put him just outside the top 20 on a career-high 23rd position. West Indies’ Shai Hope has vaulted 20 places to 61st in the latest rankings.

Batsmen heading in the right direction following Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe series are Niroshan Dickwella 38th (up by seven places), Sikandar Raza 51st (up by three places), Hamilton Masakadza 57th (up by 14 places), Upul Tharanga 64th (up by 10 places) and Danushka Gunathilaka 70th (up by 36 places).

Virat Kohli of India is on top of the table, followed by David Warner, AB de Villiers, Joe Root and Babar Azam.

In the bowlers’ list, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jason Holder and Ravichandran Ashwin have returned to the top 20.

Kumar has moved up six places to 13th, Holder is now 18th after lifting five places following his eight wickets in the series, while Ashwin is 20th after leaping 10 places.

Other bowlers to make an upward movement include Zimbabwe captain Graeme Cremer 33rd (up by 18 places), Umesh Yadav of India 37th (up by five places), West Indies’ Ashley Nurse 45th (up by 13 places), Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga 54th (up by three places), Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza 58th (up by 32 places) and India’s Hardik Pandya 63rd (up by 32 places).

Josh Hazlewood is the number-one ranked bowler, followed by Imran Tahir, Mitchell Starc, Kagiso Rabada and Trent Boult.

Sikandar Raza and Hardik Pandya are the biggest movers in the all-rounders’ list, which is headed by Shakib Al Hasan. Raza has jumped 17 places to claim 10th position for the first time in his career, while Pandya is now 26th after moving up 22 places.



Upcoming ODIs, currently scheduled on the FTP in the lead up to the 30 September 2017 cut-off date, are:


Sri Lanka v India

20 Aug – 1st ODI, Dambulla

24 Aug – 2nd ODI, Pallekele

27 Aug – 3rd ODI, Pallekele

31 Aug – 4th ODI, Colombo

3 Sep – 5th ODI, Colombo


England v West Indies

19 Sep – 1st ODI Old Trafford

21 Sep – 2nd ODI, Nottingham

24 Sep – 3rd ODI, Bristol

27 Sep – 4th ODI, The Oval

29 Sep – 5th ODI, Southampton



MRF Tyres ICC ODI Team Rankings (as on 11 July after West Indies v India and Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe series):

Rank Team Points

1. South Africa 119

2. Australia 117

3. India 114 (-2)

4. England 113

5. New Zealand 111

6. Pakistan 95

7. Bangladesh 94

8. Sri Lanka 88 (-5)

9. West Indies 78 (+1)

10. Afghanistan 54

11. Zimbabwe 52 (+6)

12. Ireland 41

(Developed by David Kendix)


MRF Tyres ICC ODI Player Rankings (as on 11 July after West Indies v India and Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe series):


BATTING (top 10)

Rank (+/-) Player Team Points Avge Highest Rating

1 ( - ) Virat Kohli Ind 873 54.68 886 v Ban at Fatullah 2014

2 ( - ) David Warner Aus 861 44.72 880 v Pak at Adelaide 2017

3 ( - ) AB de Villiers SA 847 53.55 902 v NZ at Auckland 2015

4 ( - ) Joe Root Eng 799 49.37 806 v NZ at Cardiff 2017

5 ( - ) Babar Azam Pak 786*! 53.88 786 v Ind at The Oval 2017

6 ( - ) Kane Williamson NZ 779 46.98 798 v SA at Centurion 2015

7 ( - ) Quinton de Kock SA 769 43.44 803 v NZ at Wellington 2017

8 ( - ) Faf du Plessis SA 768 43.41 791 v SL at Cape Town 2017

9 ( - ) Martin Guptill NZ 749 43.30 789 v SA at Hamilton 2017

10 (+2) Hashim Amla SA 741 50.25 901 v Eng at Trent Bridge 2012


SELECTED RANKINGS

Rank (+/-) Player Team Points Avge Highest Rating

12 (+3) MS Dhoni Ind 728 51.32 836 v Aus at Delhi 2009

13 (-3) Shikhar Dhawan Ind 725 43.76 794 v SA at Melbourne 2015

23 (+13) Ajinkya Rahane Ind 631! 34.77 631 v WI at Jamaica 2017

27 (-1) Angelo Mathews SL 611 40.68 707 v Eng at Colombo (RPS) 2014

30 (-3) Kusal Mendis SL 602* 36.23 631 v Zim at Galle 2017

38 (+7) N. Dickwella SL 568* 42.61 590 v Zim at Hambantota 2017

44 (+3) Kedar Jadhav Ind 560* 56.50 571 v WI at Antigua 2017

51 (+3) Sikandar Raza Zim 530 32.92 576 v Afg at Bulawayo 2015

54 (-6) D. Chandimal SL 523 33.44 667 v Aus at Adelaide 2012

57 (+14) H. Masakadza Zim 513 29.03 566 v Ban at Mirpur 2009

61 (+20) Shai Hope WI 503*! 41.60 503 v Ind at Jamaica 2017

64 (+10) Upul Tharanga SL 497 33.43 663 v NZ at Napier 2006

65 (-3) Sean Williams Zim 496 31.68 556 v Ind at Auckland 2015

68 (-2) Craig Ervine Zim 487 34.00 524 v Afg at Bulawayo 2015

70 (+36) D. Gunathilaka SL 483*! 33.28 483 v Zim at Hambantota 2017

71 (-6) Johnson Charles WI 479 26.72 592 v Ind at Trinidad 2013

74 (-7) Kusal Perera SL 475 27.83 552 v Eng at Edgbaston 2016

75 (-6) E. Chigumbura Zim 472 25.47 554 v SA at Bulawayo 2007


BOWLING (top 10)


Rank (+/-) Player Team Points Avge Eco. Highest Rating

1 ( - ) Josh Hazlewood Aus 732! 23.85 4.69 732 v Eng at Edgbaston 2017

2 ( - ) Imran Tahir SA 718 23.87 4.66 786 v SL at Johannesburg 2017

3 ( - ) Mitchell Starc Aus 701 20.13 4.81 783 v NZ at Melbourne 2015

4 ( - ) Kagiso Rabada SA 685 26.30 5.11 724 v Eng at Lord's 2017

5 (+1) Trent Boult NZ 665 25.48 5.00 766 v Ind at Delhi 2016

6 (+1) Hasan Ali Pak 663*! 22.66 5.47 663 v Ind at The Oval 2017

7 (-2) Sunil Narine WI 662 26.46 4.12 791 v SL at Jamaica 2013

8 ( - ) Rashid Khan Afg 647*! 14.74 3.97 647 v WI at St Lucia 2017

9 ( - ) Chris Woakes Eng 627 31.60 5.58 651 v SA at Headingley 2017

10 ( - ) Mohammad Nabi Afg 618 32.74 4.29 653 v Zim at Harare 2017


SELECTED RANKINGS


Rank (+/-) Player Team Points Avge Eco. Highest Rating

13 (+6) B. Kumar Ind 608 37.74 4.88 657 v WI at Dharamsala 2014

18 (+5) Jason Holder WI 592 32.50 5.40 605 v SL at Bulawayo 2016

20= (+10) R. Ashwin Ind 585 32.91 4.91 691 v SL at Hambantota 2012

(-4) Akshar Patel Ind 585* 30.20 4.38 624 v NZ at Visakhapatnam 2016

22 (-4) Amit Mishra Ind 579* 23.60 4.72 618 v NZ at Visakhapatnam 2016

29 (RE) M. Shami Ind 556 24.69 5.46 654 v Ban at Melbourne 2015

31 (-7) Jasprit Bumrah Ind 551* 26.42 4.92 565 v Pak at The Oval 2017

32 (-1) Ravindra Jadeja Ind 547 35.87 4.90 738 v Zim at Bulawayo 2013

33 (+18) Graeme Cremer Zim 546*! 31.81 4.60 546 v SL at Hambantota 2017

37= (-6) Suranga Lakmal SL 537 30.47 5.50 563 v Ban at Colombo (SSC) 2017

(+5) Umesh Yadav Ind 537 32.84 5.92 600 v Ban at Melbourne 2015

45 (+13) Ashley Nurse WI 506* 27.34 4.66 517 v Ind at Antigua 2017

48 ( - ) Tendai Chatara Zim 496 33.18 5.19 562 v Ire at Hobart 2015

58 (+32) Sikandar Raza Zim 466*! 43.54 4.88 466 v SL at Hambantota 2017

59 (-7) N. Kulasekara SL 461 33.92 4.90 727 v NZ at Colombo (RPS) 2009

61 (-8) Sean Williams Zim 458 50.03 4.90 477 v Sco at Edinburgh 2017

66 (+20) Nuwan Pradeep SL 448* 40.00 5.93 453 v Zim at Hambantota 2017

70 (-7) T. Panyangara Zim 435 46.53 5.69 492 v Ban at Mirpur 2015


ALL-ROUNDERS (top five)


Rank (+/-) Player Team Points Highest Rating

1 ( - ) Shakib Al Hasan Ban 353 453 v Zim at Chittagong 2009

2 ( - ) M. Hafeez Pak 339 438 v Ind at Kolkata 2013

3 ( - ) Mohammad Nabi Afg 329 349 v Ire at Greater Noida 2017

4 (+1) James Faulkner Aus 299 361 v NZ at Melbourne 2015

5 (-1) Angelo Mathews SL 294 427 v Eng at Colombo (RPS) 2014

 

[Nil Dhumrojal]

Some month ago i asked some posters that is their any chance of sl being in this type of scenario. All of them denied that that time. Now it becomes reality!!!

 

[Nil Dhumrojal]

The race between bd,Pak and wi turned into Wi vs sl.

 

[Specialisttailender]

The team that will be forced to play qualifying matches will easily defeat the minnows. No need to get excited.

 

[ahmedzee]

SL is 10 pts ahead. I don't think they will see a situation where they have to play minnows. WI is the true #9.

 

[Arham_PakFan]

I think SL will still make it directly and West Indies will have to play the qualifers.

 

[hadi123]

Highly unlikely WI can qualify. They are too far behind

 

[MMHS]

WI will miss the cut - not only because of the massive odds (SRL might lose 0-5 to IND, but don't see WI winning more than 1 out of 5 against Poms), rather because I am not sure if WICB bothers for it. In fact, the excellent scenario analysis that OP has given, I am not sure how many in WICB actually is aware of those calculations.

 

[DRsohail]

The race between bd,Pak and wi turned into Wi vs sl.

justified....pak and bd are more professional than the two boards and teams..

 

[Hasan123]

Sri Lanka will make it easily. West Indies are a rubbish LO side.

 

[Square Drive]

SL are bad, but WI are worse.

SL will qualify.

 

[Cricfan4eva]

The team that will be forced to play qualifying matches will easily defeat the minnows. No need to get excited.

On the contrary. SL or WI could benefit from extra games in those conditions just ahead of the tournament (which I presume will be when the qualifier will be held).

However the permutations and combinations mentioned in the OP is anything but tremendous build up as it is trying to suggest. SL may win 2 or more (unlikely but there is still some scope). However to expect WI to have a result of 4-0 or better in a 5 match series vs England is anything but realistic.

 

[light]

Sri Lanka will make it easily. West Indies are a rubbish LO side.

To be honest, they keep throwing around a c grade team instead of picking their BEST XI. what did you expect? While the likes of Bravo, Sammy and co are not even mentioned in the playing XI and are represented with no name guys, this was bound to happen. If WI starts to pick up their strongest team on a regular basis, they will be hovering around number 6 or 7.

At the current moment, PAK/BD/SL (NZ somewhat) are are equal in wise of strength. WI/ZIM/AFG are more close to each other.

 

[msb314]

Despite SL's mediocrity - they are firm favorites to directly qualify for the 2019 WC.

 

[ExpressPacer]

West Indies are 10 times the side that Sri Lanka or Bangladesh are. I really hope they directly qualify because I'm afraid if they don't, they do have a habit of losing to minnows and may give it away to some team like Afghanistan or the Dutch in the qualifiers.

 

[Specialisttailender]

Despite SL's mediocrity - they are firm favorites to directly qualify for the 2019 WC.

WOW, SL went from appearing in every ICC tournament's fiinals/semi-finals to being " firm favorites to directly qualify for the 2019 WC" how sad.

 

[Specialisttailender]

On the contrary. SL or WI could benefit from extra games in those conditions just ahead of the tournament (which I presume will be when the qualifier will be held).

However the permutations and combinations mentioned in the OP is anything but tremendous build up as it is trying to suggest. SL may win 2 or more (unlikely but there is still some scope). However to expect WI to have a result of 4-0 or better in a 5 match series vs England is anything but realistic.

You think that extra experience is really going to give advantage to a team that is forced to play qualifiers ?

 

[Amjid Javed]

Cant see SL beating India or W.I beating england so rankings at bottom end will remain the same.

 

[Nil Dhumrojal]

West Indies are 10 times the side that Sri Lanka or Bangladesh are. I really hope they directly qualify because I'm afraid if they don't, they do have a habit of losing to minnows and may give it away to some team like Afghanistan or the Dutch in the qualifiers.

You are wrong about teams.

 

[ExpressPacer]

You are wrong about teams.

I may be. After all, it is just my opinion sir.

 

[Executioner]

West Indies are 10 times the side that Sri Lanka or Bangladesh are. I really hope they directly qualify because I'm afraid if they don't, they do have a habit of losing to minnows and may give it away to some team like Afghanistan or the Dutch in the qualifiers.

I don't think west indies will be able to beat us even with their best XI on most occasions other than T20Is.

Gayle, Samuels are beyond their prime. They don't have a lethal pace attack. Sammy and bravo don't pose a big threat to the opposition. I want to be honest, it's just not that West Indies haven't been fielding their best XI but because the skill level has regressed significantly over the years.

Youngsters are more interested in basketball in the Carribean these days

 

[msb314]

WOW, SL went from appearing in every ICC tournament's fiinals/semi-finals to being " firm favorites to directly qualify for the 2019 WC" how sad.

Yes their decline has been dramatic but not entirely unexpected.

 

[Syed1]

Until a month ago we were ourselves mixed up in this kichri..

 

[idrizzy]

Sri Lanka fails to seal ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 direct qualification

The 1996 World champions needed two wins in the five-match series to secure a place.

Sri Lanka has been unable to seal a direct qualification place in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 in the ongoing ODI series against India after failing to win two matches.

The 1996 World champions needed two wins in the five-match series to secure a place in the ICC’s pinnacle 50-over event, which will take place from 30 May to 15 July in the United Kingdom. The top seven ODI sides apart from host England as on 30 September qualify directly.

But with India taking a 4-0 lead, Sri Lanka will now have to wait for the Windies to lose at least one of its upcoming matches to be able to clinch that berth.

If Sri Lanka wins the last match of the series on Sunday, it will reach 88 points on the points table but that will not be enough to ensure it automatic qualification.

The Windies will be able to overtake Sri Lanka in such a scenario since it can also reach 88 points and edge Sri Lanka on decimal points if it wins its upcoming six matches – one against Ireland on 13 September and all ODIs of a five-match series against England from 19 to 29 September.

In case Sri Lanka loses the series 5-0, the Windies will be able to overtake it by beating Ireland and winning either all five matches against England or the last four matches for a 4-1 series win.

Teams not getting direct places in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 will get another shot through a Qualifying tournament.

The ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2018 will feature the bottom four sides from the MRF Tyres ICC ODI Team Rankings, the top four sides from the ICC World Cricket League Championship and the top two sides from the ICC World Cricket League. The top two sides from the World Cup Qualifier will complete the 10-team line-up for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.

Source: https://www.icc-cricket.com/media-releases/464862

 

[Syed1]

Hard to expect Windies to beat England 5-0 or 4-1. I think Lanka are safe, but anything can happen in cricket.

 

[squarecut]

The permutations and combinations being suggested for West Indies indicate that Sri Lanka should comfortably get the last automatic qualification slot ahead of West Indies.

 

[ask_analyse_act]

Samuels Gayle and Taylor are back in the ODI squad for WI. Expect windies to win at least 2 games but possible to win 3-2 too. Will not be whitewashed for sure.

 

[CanadianG00se]

Sri Lanka will qualify for WC. There is no way Windies beating England 4-1 or 5-0.

Windies are not a good team and should be made to play qualifiers.

 

[KhalidRafi]

If Sri Lanka played qualifiers there's a very likely chance that they would not qualify for the World Cup. Especially considering they were beaten 3-2 by Zimbabwe in their own backyard. But then again, could say the same for West Indies. Even with Gayle back they have a torrid side.

 

[pakistani pride]

If Sri Lanka played qualifiers there's a very likely chance that they would not qualify for the World Cup. Especially considering they were beaten 3-2 by Zimbabwe in their own backyard. But then again, could say the same for West Indies. Even with Gayle back they have a torrid side.

LOL Gayle will be terrible. He is finished.

 

[Sherlock]

Heart goes out to SL fans, who in my opinion, are the best fans out there. Such a shame what is happening to them. But hopefully they can get back to where they were. WI too.

Cricket is poorer without those 2 sides competing at the highest level.

 

[The_Odd_One]

Everybody mentions Sanga and Mahela but IMO Dilshan was their best ODI batsman. SL is missing him big time.

 

[htariq25]

The 1996 World champions needed two wins in the five-match series to secure a place.

Sri Lanka has been unable to seal a direct qualification place in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 in the ongoing ODI series against India after failing to win two matches.

The 1996 World champions needed two wins in the five-match series to secure a place in the ICC’s pinnacle 50-over event, which will take place from 30 May to 15 July in the United Kingdom. The top seven ODI sides apart from host England as on 30 September qualify directly.

But with India taking a 4-0 lead, Sri Lanka will now have to wait for the Windies to lose at least one of its upcoming matches to be able to clinch that berth.

If Sri Lanka wins the last match of the series on Sunday, it will reach 88 points on the points table but that will not be enough to ensure it automatic qualification.

The Windies will be able to overtake Sri Lanka in such a scenario since it can also reach 88 points and edge Sri Lanka on decimal points if it wins its upcoming six matches – one against Ireland on 13 September and all ODIs of a five-match series against England from 19 to 29 September.

In case Sri Lanka loses the series 5-0, the Windies will be able to overtake it by beating Ireland and winning either all five matches against England or the last four matches for a 4-1 series win.

Teams not getting direct places in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 will get another shot through a Qualifying tournament.

The ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2018 will feature the bottom four sides from the MRF Tyres ICC ODI Team Rankings, the top four sides from the ICC World Cricket League Championship and the top two sides from the ICC World Cricket League. The top two sides from the World Cup Qualifier will complete the 10-team line-up for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.

Source: https://www.icc-cricket.com/media-releases/464862

Sri Lanka will still qualify

 

[Sadevdesai]

It will be even harder after the 5th ODI with the Indians !!!!!!!!

 

[CanadianG00se]

It will be even harder after the 5th ODI with the Indians !!!!!!!!

For Windies its even harder, as they would've to whitewash England(5-0) to gain direct entry to WC. Dont see that happening with or without Gayle and co.