With the September 30th, 2017 deadline approaching, the top 6 teams, and host nation England qualify directly for the 2019 World Cup to be held in England from May 30th to 15th July.
After the 2-3 loss to Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka has dropped down from 93 to 88 points. However, A 4-1 win over Zimbabwe would have secured their place into the World Cup 2019 directly.
This now means, their next series against India is a crucial outing for them. Their next One-day International assignment is a five-match One-day International series against 3rd ranked India starting from August 20th. Sri Lanka needs to win 2 matches or more to qualify for the 2019 World Cup directly. If Sri Lanka fails to win 2 matches or more, West Indies will avoid getting into the World Cup qualifiers which are scheduled to take place from 1st March to 4th April. In this tournament, 2 teams from the qualifier will qualify for the World Cup 2019.
If India defeats Sri Lanka by 4-1 or 5-0, West Indies needs to defeat England by 5-0 or 4-0 to have a better chance of qualifying directly for the World Cup 2019. West Indies gained 1 point after winning one match against India. They are at number 9 in the rankings as per now.
According to 11th July rankings, South Africa is the number 1 ranked team with 119 points, followed by Australia at 117 points. India lost 2 points despite a 3-1 series win over West Indies. England is fourth with 113 points, New Zealand fifth at 111 points, Pakistan at 6th with 95, Bangladesh at 7th with 94 points, Sri Lanka at 8th with 88 points and West Indies at 9th with 79 points.
It promises to be a great fight to see Sri Lanka and West Indies fight for the last spot for qualifying directly for the 2019 World Cup. Sri Lanka needs to play aggressive cricket against a strong Indian ODI side. West Indies plays England in a five-match ODI series starting from 19th September, the task for Jason Holder”s side is not easy as they have to play a positive England ODI team who have done well after the 2015 World Cup where they were knocked out of the group stages.
Here are the latest ODI rankings as of 11th July
1. South Africa- 119 points
2. Australia- 117 points
3. India- 114 points
4. England- 113 points
5. New Zealand-111 points
6. Pakistan- 95 points
7. Bangladesh- 94 points
8. Sri Lanka- 88 points
9. West Indies- 78 points
10. Afghanistan- 54 points
Next series for Sri Lanka
1st ODI- 20th August, Dambulla
2nd ODI- 24th August, Pallekele
3rd ODI- 27th August, Pallekele
4th ODI- 31st August, Colombo
5th ODI- 3rd September, Colombo
West Indies next ODI series
1st ODI- 19th September, Old Trafford
2nd ODI- 21st September, Trent Bridge
3rd ODI- 24th September, Bristol
4th ODI- 27th September, Oval
5th ODI- 29th September, Southampton.
