England crushed Scotland by 10 wickets in their final match of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2023, but failed to secure a spot in the global showpiece event after a dramatic turn of events in the other group matches.
England dominate Scotland with bat and ball
England, who needed to win their last match and hope for favourable results in the other games to have a chance of qualifying for the World Cup, put on a clinical performance against Scotland at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. They bowled out Scotland for just 67 in 28.4 overs, with left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone taking four wickets for 12 runs. Ecclestone was well supported by seamer Freya Davies, who claimed three wickets for 14 runs.
In reply, England chased down the target in just 8.4 overs without losing a wicket. Openers Tammy Beaumont and Danni Wyatt scored unbeaten 34 and 31 respectively, as they finished the tournament on a high note. England captain Heather Knight was pleased with her team’s performance, but rued the missed opportunities in the earlier matches.
“We played really well today, we were ruthless and professional. We wanted to finish the tournament strongly and we did that. It’s obviously disappointing that we couldn’t qualify for the World Cup, but we have to take the positives from this experience and learn from our mistakes. We have a lot of talent in this group and we will bounce back stronger,” Knight said.
Ireland stun Bangladesh to dash England’s hopes
England’s hopes of qualifying for the World Cup were dashed by Ireland, who pulled off a stunning upset over Bangladesh in the other Group A match. Ireland, who had lost all their previous matches in the tournament, defended a modest total of 139 against Bangladesh, who needed to win to secure their qualification. Ireland bowled out Bangladesh for 136 in 49.2 overs, with medium-pacer Lara Maritz taking three wickets for 24 runs. Ireland captain Laura Delany was ecstatic with her team’s performance, and said it was a reward for their hard work and resilience.
“It’s an amazing feeling, we are over the moon. We knew we had nothing to lose today and we played with freedom and belief. We have worked really hard as a team and we have faced a lot of challenges in this tournament, but we never gave up. We are very proud of ourselves and we hope this win will inspire the next generation of Irish cricketers,” Delany said.
Bangladesh captain Rumana Ahmed was disappointed with her team’s batting collapse, and said they had let themselves down in a crucial match.
“We are very sad, we had a great opportunity to qualify for the World Cup and we couldn’t take it. We bowled well and restricted them to a low score, but we didn’t bat well at all. We lost too many wickets in the middle overs and we couldn’t handle the pressure. We have to accept our failure and learn from it. We have to improve our skills and mentality for the future,” Ahmed said.
Papua New Guinea qualify for the first time in history
The biggest surprise of the day came from Group B, where Papua New Guinea qualified for the World Cup for the first time in their history, after beating Zimbabwe by 14 runs in a thrilling match. Papua New Guinea, who had won all their previous matches in the tournament, posted a competitive total of 189 for 9 in 50 overs, with opener Brenda Tau scoring 55 and captain Kaia Arua chipping in with 32. Zimbabwe, who also needed to win to qualify, fell short of the target, despite a valiant 71 from opener Modester Mupachikwa. Papua New Guinea held their nerve in the final overs, with spinner Ravini Oa taking four wickets for 28 runs.
Papua New Guinea captain Kaia Arua was overjoyed with her team’s achievement, and said it was a dream come true for them.
“We are so happy, we can’t believe it. We have made history today and we have qualified for the World Cup. It’s a dream come true for us and for our country. We have worked so hard for this and we have shown our passion and talent. We are very grateful to everyone who has supported us and believed in us. We are ready to take on the world and we will give our best in the World Cup,” Arua said.
Zimbabwe captain Mary-Anne Musonda was heartbroken with her team’s loss, and said they had missed a golden chance to qualify for the World Cup.
“We are very disappointed, we had a good chance to win the match and qualify for the World Cup, but we couldn’t do it. We bowled well and fielded well, but we didn’t bat well enough. We lost too many wickets at crucial stages and we couldn’t chase down the target. We have to take this as a learning experience and come back stronger. We have a lot of potential in this team and we will keep fighting for our dreams,” Musonda said.
The final standings and the World Cup line-up
The final standings of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2023 are as follows:
Group A: Sri Lanka (8 points), Bangladesh (6 points), England (6 points), Ireland (2 points), Scotland (0 points)
Group B: Papua New Guinea (10 points), Zimbabwe (6 points), Thailand (4 points), Netherlands (2 points), USA (0 points)
The top two teams from each group have qualified for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2023, which will be held in South Africa from February 18 to March 26. The 10 teams that will compete in the World Cup are: South Africa (hosts), Australia (defending champions), India, New Zealand, West Indies, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Papua New Guinea and Zimbabwe.
