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Bangladesh team (Source: AFP)
Bangladesh are currently in the middle of the ODI series against Afghanistan and are struggling big time. They ended up handing the series to the Afghans by losing the initial two matches of the three-match series, and have lost 10 out of their last 11 ODI matches.
Therefore, the pressure is increasing on the ODI captain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz and now doubts have crept in over Bangladesh's chances of qualifying for the 2027 50-over World Cup. So, is Bangladesh really in danger?
South Africa and Zimbabwe to qualify as hosts; ICC rankings to play big role
For starters, the Cricket World Cup 2027 would see 14 teams competing for the prestigious trophy. In the 2023 edition, there were just 10 teams, and so it is highly unlikely that Bangladesh would miss out on a place in the 2027 World Cup.
However, they are in real danger of missing out on the direct qualification, which would be a big blow to a proud cricketing country like Bangladesh. In this article, we will look at why they are in danger and how they can avoid missing the direct berth.
The World Cup 2027 will be hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. Out of the three, South Africa and Zimbabwe would qualify directly, and according to the qualification rules, the top eight teams in the ICC rankings would also qualify. Now, South Africa are likely to finish in the top eight of the ICC ODI team rankings, and it means that an extra team, the number 9 in the rankings, would make it to the World Cup directly.
World Cup 2027 qualification scenarios
| Teams qualified directly | Team who can directly qualify | Indirect Qualification |
| South Africa | Top 8 teams excluding SA and ZIM | 4 teams to qualify from World Cup Qualifier tournament |
| Zimbabwe |
Race between West Indies and Bangladesh for direct qualification
Now, Bangladesh are currently languishing in the 10th position in the ICC ODI rankings. West Indies are at the ninth position, and so only one of them is likely to make it directly to the World Cup 2027. Bangladesh now have 2549 points while West Indies has 2814, and they also have a rating of 80, which is five more than Bangladesh.
Thus, it becomes important for Bangladesh to do well in the upcoming ODI matches. The cut-off time to determine the top nine teams is March 31, 2027, and Bangladesh have 26 ODIs, including the three games against India, which were postponed earlier.
Interestingly, the most important series would be Bangladesh's next one against West Indies. It is a home series which will start on October 18, and if Bangladesh manage to whitewash Windies, they would move to the number nine position. However, if they lose only one of three matches against the West Indies, they will remain at the number 10 position in the ICC ODI rankings.
Thus, Bangladesh need to get their act together in the ODIs if they want to stay safe and avoid going to the Qualifier tournament. Currently, they have plenty of games in their hand, and with the West Indies also not in their best form in ODIs, they could slip up behind Bangladesh, who will play just six ODIs outside home till the cut-off period.
