Rain sends Proteas straight to Cricket World Cup

Quite ironically the Proteas have rain to thank for their automatic place at the upcoming 2023 Cricket World Cup.

Rain washed out play during the first ODI between Ireland and Bangladesh at English ground Chelmsford in Essex on Tuesday, 9 May.

And it had positive ramifications for the Proteas. They have now secured their spot at the Cricket World Cup without needing to enter into the qualifying series.

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Rain finally good for Proteas

The permutations were clear at the onset of this series. If any of the matches in the series were abandoned then the Proteas would have secured their place booked.

Earlier in the year, the Proteas swept aside the Dutch to keep the pressure on Ireland in the race for the final qualifying spot.

And typically rain has been unkind to the Proteas in the past but is has certainly played its part in 2023. In 1992, South Africa lost to England and in 2003 on home soil, their final Group B match against Sri Lanka ended in a tie under the Duckworth-Lewis scoring method.

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The other nine participants in the Cricket World Cup qualifier, which will take place in Zimbabwe from 18 June, have all been set.

Ireland will join now the West Indies, Zimbabwe, the Netherlands, Sri Lanka, Scotland, Nepal, Oman, the UAE and the United States in the three-week event.

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Big names won’t make it

At least two Test-playing nations will miss out on places at the World Cup and it could even be more with plenty of risks for the big guns.

Sri Lanka and the West Indies are favoured to reach the tournament but one slip up might cost a team their place with only the finalists of that event securing a place at the World Cup in India.

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