T20 World Cup: WI, SL to play Qualifiers next year
West Indies lost their final Super 12 encounter of the 2021 T20 World Cup to Australia. The defending champions will have to play the Qualifiers next year in order to reach the Super 12s of the 2022 T20 WC edition. WI, now ranked 10th in the T20I rankings, will be joined by Sri Lanka (ninth) in the qualifying round. Here, we analyze the same.
West Indies plunged to 10th in the ICC T20I Rankings after losing to Australia. They are six points behind ninth-placed Sri Lanka (232). Meanwhile, Afghanistan and Bangladesh are seventh and eighth respectively. WI's eight-wicket defeat helped the plight of Bangladesh. The Bangladeshis rose to eighth despite losing all their Super 12 matches. They claimed home-series wins over Australia and New Zealand recently.
The top eight teams qualify directly for the T20 World Cup Super 12 stage. They are joined by four other sides after the qualifying round. England, Pakistan, India, New Zealand, South Africa, and Australia will enter the Super 12s of the 2022 T20 WC, along with Afghanistan and Bangladesh. Meanwhile, Scotland and Namibia will join WI and SL in the first round.
West Indies, who won the T20 World Cup in 2012 and 2016, lost four of their five Super 12 games in the 2021 edition. They were bundled out for mere 55 in their opener against England. WI's batting order messed up big time, however, the bowlers performed slightly better. Besides, they lost to South Africa, Sri Lanka, and Australia respectively.
West Indies are the only side to win the T20 World Cup twice. They claimed a 36-run win over Sri Lanka in the 2012 final. Four years later, the Caribbeans outclassed England to win their second T20 World Cup title.
Sri Lanka, who were crowned champions of the 2014 World T20, fared better than West Indies this time. They got into the Super 12s after doing well in the Qualifiers. The Lankans defeated Bangladesh and WI, while they lost to Australia, South Africa, and England respectively. SL's spinner Wanindu Hasaranga is among the top five wicket-takers of the tournament so far.
