The first ODI between Ireland and Bangladesh in Chelmsford was abandoned after persistent rain on Tuesday evening which saw South Africa clinching the last automatic qualification ticket for the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup, slated to be held in India in October-November later this year.
Even if hosts Ireland win the ODI series against Bangladesh, they now cannot go past South Africa eighth place standing in the ODI Super League points table.
Ireland will now participate in the ten-team ODI World Cup qualifying tournament, set to run from June 18 to July 9 in Zimbabwe, with former winners West Indies and Sri Lanka also playing in the competition.
South Africa’s chances for automatic qualification relied on Ireland’s home ODI series against Bangladesh ad a 3-0 series victory for the hosts would have brought them level on points with South Africa, assuming they incurred no penalty points.
The net run rate would still have come into play to decide the final spot however, with Ireland’s first ODI against Bangladesh abandoned, this is no longer a worry for the Proteas, who have now sealed their place for the ODI World Cup.
Also joining Ireland in the qualifying tournament will be Zimbabwe and Netherlands, who finished at the bottom of the Super League table while Scotland, Oman and Nepal finished in the top three of League 2 and booked their place in the World Cup Qualifier.
Notably, Nepal had finished top three in dramatic way, winning 11 of their last 12 matches, overtaking Namibia to finish third in an incredible comeback story.
On the other hand, following a disappointing League 2 campaigns, USA and UAE bounced back in the Qualifier Play-off in April, ensuring their top-two finishes on the penultimate day of the competition.