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Eddie Chikamhi
Senior Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE national cricket team captain Craig Ervine says the Chevrons are looking beyond the upcoming One Day International series against the Netherlands as they have one eye on the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2023 which they will host between June and July.
The ODI series is part of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League that is serving as the main route for direct qualification for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 in India later this year. But both Zimbabwe and the Netherlands, who occupy the last two positions, have since failed to make it from the tournament and will now have to fight for their places in an upcoming 10-team tournament during the winter.
Ervine reckons their clash with the Netherlands in Harare this month remains important despite their woes in the Super League.
“I think the tour is very important for a couple of reasons,” Ervine said.
“One being it’s a chance to look at some options ahead of the ICC Men’s World Cup Qualifier on home soil and what sort of team our selectors are looking at.
“Two, it’s an opportunity to keep the momentum going which has brought the crowds back to Harare Sports Club and which we want to carry through to the qualifiers.
“What we want to see again is the support we had during the 2018 qualifiers and we can only get that support by continuously winning games.” Zimbabwe will host the Netherlands for three one-day international (ODI) matches in Harare this month.
The matches are scheduled for March 21, 23 and 25 and will all be played at Harare Sports Club. The series will conclude Zimbabwe’s campaign in the inaugural Super League.
Featuring 13 teams — the 12 ICC Full Members and the Netherlands, who qualified by winning the ICC World Cricket Super League 2015-17 — the Super League is expected to see each side play four home and four away three-match series. By the end of the campaign all teams should have played 24 games. Zimbabwe have so far played 21 matches since the start of the campaign in 2020 and have won only four times, while losing 16 games.
Each team earned 10 points for a win, five for a tie/no result/abandoned match, and zero for a loss.
The top seven teams at the end, plus hosts India, are assured of a direct entry to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. So far seven places have been filled. New Zealand lead the race with 150 points, followed by India on 139 points. England, Pakistan, Australia, Bangladesh and Afghanistan have also qualified. West Indies, South Africa and Sri Lanka are in the running for the remaining automatic qualification ticket. Zimbabwe, meanwhile, are in 12th place and will be among the five bottom-placed teams that will feature in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier, which they will host between June 18 and July 9.
They will be joined in the Qualifier by five Associate teams, to make it a 10-team tournament. Two teams from the qualifying tournament will then progress to the World Cup.
Online Reporter