Cricket World Cup: South Africa qualifies directly, total eight teams finalized now

With South Africa’s direct qualification, the lineup for the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup is becoming clearer. Eight teams, including South Africa, have secured their spots in the anticipated event. The Proteas secured their position following a rained-out ODI between Ireland and Bangladesh in Chelmsford, which effectively eliminated Ireland from the race for an automatic berth.

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The dynamics of the race for automatic qualification shifted significantly in the aftermath of Sri Lanka’s unsuccessful series against New Zealand and South Africa’s victories in their recent home series against the Netherlands. This winning streak gave South Africa a fighting chance for an automatic place in the World Cup in India as it propelled them past the West Indies into the eighth and coveted final position on the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League standings.

However, South Africa’s hope for a direct pass to the tournament still hung in the balance, contingent on the outcome of Ireland’s ODIs against Bangladesh. A clean sweep by Ireland would have leveled the points with South Africa, necessitating the application of net run rate to determine the final entrant. Yet, with the first match in the Ireland-Bangladesh series being a washout, South Africa can now breathe easy, having secured their World Cup berth.

As for Ireland, their journey to the World Cup in India isn’t over yet. They are set to compete in the Qualifiers scheduled to take place in Zimbabwe in June. Joining them will be Zimbabwe and the Netherlands, who finished at the bottom of the Super League table. Conversely, the top three of League 2, including Scotland, Oman, and Nepal, have confirmed their spots in the World Cup Qualifier. Nepal, in particular, showed resilience, winning 11 out of their last 12 matches and staging a remarkable comeback to clinch a top-three finish.

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Despite setbacks in their League 2 campaigns, both the USA and UAE managed to regain their footing in the Qualifier Play-off in April. Their efforts paid off, securing their spots on the penultimate day of the competition, thus rounding off the top two finishes.

Eight Teams confirmed for direct entry now

India (Host), Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, Pakistan, New Zealand and South Africa