World Cup 2023 Qualification Scenario After West Indies' Shock Exit

image-ljl7dh51West Indies have failed to qualify for World Cup [Twitter]

West Indies had a 'shocking' World Cup qualification tournament, as the former champions failed to qualify for the World Cup 2023 with a loss at the hands of Scotland.

Despite winning the opening two matches, the team failed to capitalise on the momentum and lost against Zimbabwe, Netherlands and Scotland to crash out of the World Cup qualifiers.

There are now four teams left in the qualification race - Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Scotland and Netherlands, and only two spots left. Here are the scenarios for each team to qualify for the coveted World Cup, scheduled in October-November in India.

Sri Lanka

The only unbeaten team apart from Zimbabwe in this tournament, Sri Lanka will qualify for the World Cup if they manage to defeat Zimbabwe in the ongoing match. The Asian side boasts a healthy net run-rate of 1.832 and even if they lose today, they can still qualify by beating West Indies in their next match.

Zimbabwe

The team has been a revelation in the last one year. They have played some exciting brand of cricket and have been undefeated in the competition thus far. They have a net run-rate of 0.752, and if they lose today against Sri Lanka, they need to beat Scotland in their last match to qualify for the World Cup. However, a win today will almost guarantee a place in the mega event in India.

Scotland

They have four points from three matches and have a solid chance of qualifying, thanks to a scintillating win over the Windies in the last match. If Scotland win their next two games, and Zimbabwe lose both their matches, the European side will leapfrog them in the second place. However, a loss in any of the two matches and their fate will depend on the other results.

Netherlands

The Dutch side have no other option, but to win their remaining games. They would also want Sri Lanka to beat Zimbabwe, so that there can be a three-horse race between Scotland, Zimbabwe and Netherlands. However, Netherlands have the lowest net-run rate amongst the four teams (-0.560) and that can hamper their chances.