The 13th ICC ODI World Cup will be held in India next October-November. The ongoing series against New Zealand was crucial for Sri Lanka to qualify directly for the tournament. But after the loss in the first match, rain prevented them from participating in the second match. Among them, the penalty of losing points due to slow over-rating has become a major blow. The second match of the ODI series between New Zealand and Sri Lanka was canceled on Tuesday (March 28) in Christchurch due to rain. Tourists have suffered a lot. A total of eight teams, including the hosts, will have the opportunity to play directly in the ODI World Cup to be held in India in October-November this year. From July 30, 2020, to May 14 this year, the top eight teams in the ICC World Cup Super League table will qualify directly for the World Cup.

Seven teams have already made it to the list. West Indies, Sri Lanka, South Africa and Ireland are in the remaining one-team battle. The Caribbean has almost been knocked out of the race after losing the just-concluded series against South Africa. At the end of 24 matches, their points are 88. They have no more matches left in the Super League. South Africa has two matches in hand. At the end of 19 matches, their points are 78. The Proteas’ points will stand at 98 if they win both matches against the Netherlands in the next series. On the other hand, Ireland has 68 points in 21 matches. They have to show surprise in the three-match series against Bangladesh next May to get a chance in the World Cup.

South Africa or Ireland could have been knocked out of the fight earlier. As the eighth team, Sri Lanka had a chance to secure a direct ticket to the World Cup. Before the New Zealand tour, they had 82 points after 21 matches. Despite the loss in the first match, they had a chance to win the next two matches to secure the ticket. But their direct participation is now in jeopardy as the second match was washed away by rain. In the meantime, due to the slow overrating in the first match, the world cricket governing body ICC deducted one point from them on Tuesday (March 28). There is a penalty for the match with him. At the end of 23 matches, the Lankans’ points are now 81.