In the ODI World Cup Qualifier 2023, Zimbabwe are playing some of their best 50-over cricket in recent memory. During the group stage of this all-important tournament, the hosts demolished the competition with four straight wins at the Harare Sports Club in Harare.
Zimbabwe, in their first match of Group A, prevailed over Nepal by eight wickets with 35 balls to spare. Then, they chased down a 300-plus total against the Netherlands to win the game by six wickets with 55 balls remaining. In their biggest match of the qualifier, the Southern African country registered a massive victory over the two-time world champions West Indies with a margin of 35 runs.
Earlier, on June 26, Monday, Zimbabwe trounced the United States of America by 304 runs after putting up their highest ODI score of 408/6 on the board.
Going into the super six stage of the ODI World Cup Qualifier, the hosts are going to carry four valuable points, by defeating both West Indies and Netherlands, who are set to join them in the next round from Group A.
Zimbabwe’s best possible scenario to qualify for the ODI World Cup 2023 in India
If Zimbabwe manages to defeat all their upcoming opponents, namely Sri Lanka, Scotland, and Oman from Group B, in the super six stages, then they will automatically qualify for the ODI World Cup 2023. Even with two wins against either of these three opponents, Zimbabwe will be in pole position to make the World Cup with the net run rate (NRR) calculations coming into play in all likelihood.
Zimbabwe’s worst possible scenario to qualify for the ODI World Cup 2023 in India
To not qualify for the ODI World Cup 2023, Zimbabwe will have to perform badly in the super six stages, basically losing all their three matches against Sri Lanka, Scotland, and Oman. In case they manage to win only one match in the super six stages, their fate for the World Cup qualification will be dependent on the NRR and the results of the other teams.