Final spots locked in as Super League comes to completion

The Super League was used as the main qualifying competition for this year’s ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup and the top eight teams at the end of the cycle managed to earn their places at this year’s 50-over showcase.

New Zealand booked their place and finished on top of the standings courtesy of their 16 victories from 24 matches, while reigning World Cup champions England were second with 15 wins from the same amount of games.

Bangladesh rose to third and narrowly in front of fourth-placed India due to their 2-0 series triumph over Ireland, with their four-run victory over the European side on Sunday the final game of the Super League cycle.

Skipper Tamim Iqbal top-scored for Bangladesh with a stylish 69 at the top of the order and a four-wicket haul from pacer Mustafizur Rahman saw Ireland fall narrowly short from pulling off a series-levelling victory.

Ireland already knew their World Cup fate prior to Sunday’s clash, with Andy Balbirnie’s side finishing outside the top eight places on the Super league standings and forced into the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe during June and July to try and earn a spot at this year’s main event.

Pakistan (fifth), Australia (sixth), Afghanistan (seventh) and South Africa (eight) were the other teams to qualify directly for the World Cup on the back of the Super League, leaving West Indies, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and the Netherland as teams joining Ireland in the Qualifier tournament that commences next month.

The Path to the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup

Those five bottom teams from the Super League will now take on five other nations at the Qualifier, with Nepal, Oman and Scotland earning their place through ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 action and the United States and UAE punching their ticket via the Cricket World Cup Qualifier Play-off.

The Qualifier commences in Zimbabwe on June 18, with the top two teams claiming the final places at this year’s World Cup.