'Don't deserve to play WC qualifiers': Amir Jangoo on WI
What's the story
West Indies cricketer Amir Jangoo has expressed his disappointment at the team's successive defeats in ODIs. After winning the series opener against New Zealand, the Windies lost the next three games. The one-wicket loss in Barbados was a "difficult pill to swallow" for Jangoo, who believes WI "don't deserve" another ICC ODI World Cup qualifier. He admitted that the team's batting struggles have been costly, as they failed to last 50 overs in their last three matches against New Zealand.
Qualification uncertainty
Another World Cup qualifier for West Indies
The West Indies team was already likely heading to the 2027 qualifiers even before facing New Zealand.
However, three consecutive defeats have all but sealed their fate for another ODI World Cup qualifier.
They qualified for the 2019 World Cup but missed out on the 2023 edition.
Now, they are looking at another qualifying event early next year and possibly a three-team Super Series at the start of the World Cup itself to progress further.
Super Series
What about Super Series?
As announced by the ICC recently, the 2027 Men's ODI World Cup will feature four rounds, including a new round-robin "Super Series" round before the group stage.
The tournament will see the participation of 14 teams, an increase from the 10 that participated in the last two editions (2019 and 2023).
Round 1 will be played among teams ranked 12th to 14th, with only one team progressing to Round 2 along with 11 qualified teams.
Team potential
We don't deserve to be going to the qualifiers: Jangoo
Despite the current struggles, Jangoo remains optimistic about the team's potential.
He said, "The kind of quality that this team has, I think we don't deserve to be going to the qualifiers."
He highlighted the talent in their dressing room and stressed the importance of playing the right cricket and getting those wins on board for West Indies.
Batting struggles
Batting collapse costs West Indies again
Jangoo returned to the side in Barbados after being left out of the third game in Guyana.
He top-scored for West Indies with 51 off 73 balls, taking them to 188.
But this wasn't enough, as New Zealand were home despite facing a collapse.
Jangoo lamented that they haven't batted 50 overs in three games now, something they need to work on ahead of their next match.