Islamabad: Pakistan are on the brink of securing a World Cup 2023 spot after they beat the Netherlands in the first ODI yesterday.

The Men in Green secured a 16-run victory in Rotterdam thanks to Fakhar Zaman’s magnificent ton. With this victory, they joined Afghanistan in third place with 100 points on the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League points table. If Pakistan win the remaining two ODIs, they will have 120 points and will assure them of a place in next year’s event proper, irrespective of how their remaining two series against New Zealand and Afghanistan pan out. If they manage to lose both the games, they will still have a chance to secure a direct spot with two series remaining in the cycle ahead of the World Cup.

Each team earns 10 points for a win, five for a tie/no result/abandoned match, and zero for a loss. The top eight teams will get a direct entry to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. The remaining teams will have to play in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier along with five Associate teams. Two teams from the qualifying tournament will then progress to the World Cup. India automatically qualify on the account of being the tournament hosts.

Published in The Daily National Courier, August, 18 2022

Like Business on Facebook, follow @DailyNCourier on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.