Former captain Carlos Brathwaite expressed his deep disappointment as West Indies suffered the blow of failing to qualify for the ICC World Cup for the first time in their history. The team’s hopes were shattered when they lost to Scotland by seven wickets during their Super Six clash at the qualification tournament in Zimbabwe.
Reflecting on the team’s performance, Brathwaite acknowledged the ongoing struggles in white-ball cricket, with T20 also missing out on the Super 12 stage last year. “I think this is the lowest you can go,” he lamented. The decline in West Indies cricket over the past decade was a concern highlighted by former player Ian Bishop, who emphasized the lack of consistent performance in one-day international cricket against top nations.
“We haven’t played consistently good one-day international cricket against the top nations for perhaps a decade,” Bishop told cricket website ESPN Cricinfo.
“I know there has been some introspection that has been taking place in the Caribbean. But what this does is, it says that we are at a few seconds to 12, and we need all hands on board to get the representation back to where it needs to be.”
The absence of West Indies from the upcoming World Cup marks a significant shift from their illustrious past. The team had previously won the first two editions of the tournament and had never faced the disappointment of failing to qualify.
With Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Scotland, and the Netherlands in contention for the last two spots, the competition for the remaining positions has intensified. The upcoming matches will determine which teams will secure their place in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.
