For the first time in history, West Indies fail to qualify for the ICC Men's ODI World Cup

West Indies cricket team have been ruled out from the ICC Cricket World Cup in India. West Indies were defeated by Scotland by 7 wickets in the ICC World Cup qualifiers at the Harare Sports Club. This is the first time that a World Cup edition will be held without the two-time champions, the Windies.

Scotland won the toss and elected to field first in the game. The Scottish bowlers managed to dismiss the West Indies out for just 181 runs. Apart from Jason Holder, who top-scored for the Caribbean side with a knock of 79-ball 45, none of the West Indies batsmen made a significant contribution to the total. Captain Shai Hope scored only 13 off 16 balls. Brandon McMullen took a three-wicket haul for Scotland, while three other bowlers took two wickets each. 

Scotland then chased down the total in 43.3 overs with Matthew Cross and Brandon McMullen, both hitting a half-century. Cross scored an unbeaten 74, while McMullen smashed 69 off 107 balls. Holder along with Romario, Shepherd and Akeal Hosein picked up one wicket each to their names. McMullen received the player of the match for his all-round performance. 

West Indies, on the other hand, got knocked out of their second consecutive ICC event. Last year, the two-time champions failed to qualify for the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia. Their disastrous performance at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 qualifiers in Zimbabwe shows the side must undergo a massive revamp at the domestic level in order to regain their pride on the global stage. In the meantime, West Indies' exit from the World Cup 2023 has left the cricketing world in absolute shock.