Excitement and anticipation for the upcoming 2023 Cricket World Cup are growing. With Sri Lanka and Netherlands already securing berths, many teams are battling to qualify for the tournament’s remaining spots.
As passionate cricket fans eagerly watch every match, there is one question on everyone’s minds: who will make it to India? Read on as we look at the current landscape of international cricket and review all the potential contenders vying for travel to this prestigious event later this year!
Overview of the 2023 Cricket World Cup
Unbeaten Sri Lanka and the Netherlands have already qualified for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, while Scotland can still qualify despite their loss this week to the Netherlands.
With their resounding victory against Zimbabwe, the 1996 Cricket World Cup winners Sri Lanka secured their berth in the 2023 tournament and improved to 8 points in the Super Six rankings.
Zimbabwe, who seemed to finish in the top two of the Cricket World Cup Qualifier for a good chunk of the tournament, was eliminated after consecutive defeats to Sri Lanka and Scotland.
When the dust settles on the Super Six round, only the top two teams will advance to the Cricket World Cup 2023 in India.
Potential Qualifiers for the 2023 Cricket World Cup
1. Sri Lanka – QUALIFIED
Pathum Nissanka has been Sri Lanka’s top batsman in the competition, with back-to-back hundreds against Zimbabwe and the West Indies. Except for a first-ball duck against the Netherlands in the Super Six, the right-hander has performed well at the top and with the composed Dimuth Karunaratne at the other end.
Sri Lanka had the greatest opening combination in the competition, contributing for 609 runs (three centuries and one 50-plus stand).
2. Netherlands – QUALIFIED
One factor in the Netherlands’ success in the Qualifiers has been Vikramjit Singh’s consistency at the top of the batting order. With the exception of a few single-digit scores, the southpaw has started well in each of the games, scoring a solid 88 against Zimbabwe and his first ODI century against Oman. He also gave the team strong starts in high-pressure run-chases against the West Indies (37) and Scotland (40).
3. Zimbabwe
Sean Williams of Zimbabwe had a faultless campaign with the bat, scoring 600 runs in only seven innings. He took on the bowling when necessary while also absorbing the strain quite well. His tournament scores were 102*, 91, 23, 174, 142, 56, and 12. This may have been enough to get the Cheverons over the line at any other time, but back-to-back losses against Sri Lanka and then Scotland harmed their hopes, and they were finally denied a place in the World Cup for the second time in a row.
4. Scotland
Brandon McMullen, Scotland’s newest discovery, had a tournament to remember, whether it was five-wicket hauls or hundreds. McMullen, who idolizes Jacques Kallis, was an unexpected call-up for Scotland this season, opening the bowling and batting at No.3, performing a fantastic job in both positions.
McMullen took the most wickets in the first ten overs of the innings, taking eight at a 4.1 economy rate. While he often stepped into the batter’s box early in the game, his start was a little sluggish, but once in, he made the opponent pay. His hundreds against Oman and the Netherlands were fantastic illustrations of his hunger, and he also rocked Ireland with a fifer in the first match. If the 23-year-old had a breakthrough tournament, this would be it.
Conclusion
The 2023 Cricket World Cup is fast approaching, and the ICC World Cup betting odds for potential qualifiers are heating up. With Sri Lanka and Netherlands already securing berths, the battle is on for the remaining spots. While it may be too late for some teams to cut this time around, they can still use these matches as an opportunity to improve their game and come back stronger than ever next year.