Christchurch: Sri Lanka’s hopes of securing automatic qualification for the World Cup took a major blow on Tuesday when heavy rain and gusting winds forced the second one-day international against New Zealand to be abandoned without a ball being bowled.
As a result the two teams split the points which further damages Sri Lanka’s designs on a place in the top eight of the Super League, who automatically qualify for the World Cup in India in October and November. Having also lost the first ODI in the three-match series, Sri Lanka are now ninth in the table with 82 points, six points behind West Indies.
To make the top eight, Sri Lanka must win the third ODI against New Zealand in three days’ time and pray that South Africa lose at least once in their series against the Netherlands, and that Ireland fail to beat Bangladesh 3-0 when they meet in May. The teams missing out on the top eight will go into a 10-team tournament in Zimbabwe in June and July from which the final two teams will emerge. — AFP
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