Zimbabwe advanced to the Super Eight after their match against Ireland in Kandy was washed out without a ball being bowled.
Zimbabwe became the second team from Group B to go through, which means Australia are now out of contention for the next stage. After splitting points with Ireland on Tuesday, Zimbabwe have five points from three matches while Australia have only two and will not be able to catch up to Sikandar Raza’s team even if they win the final group game against Oman on Friday.
After their victories over Oman and Australia, Zimbabwe needed just a point to secure qualification. Zimbabwe will enter a group that also features India, West Indies and South Africa, with the top two going through to the semifinals. Ireland, who also had a brief chance at qualification with the win, will exit the tournament. It is the first time Zimbabwe have progressed to the Super Eight stage of a World Cup, two years after they didn’t qualify for the event itself in 2024.
“Ngarava led the singing. He has made some very good songs for the team as well so he is the headmaster. I will take you back to the sub-regional qualifiers, and I stood up to my troops and said we are in this situation because of ourselves, and only we can clear this mess. As much as we have achieved, it is just a tick in the box and not the whole box. There will be a small celebration, but we will then focus on the next game. It is just a small tick in what we have set out to achieve. Myself and the coach, we will sit down, we have the data on them (Sri Lanka) and we will try to win that game. Qualifying has not changed our ultimate goal. Everyone loves an underdog story. Every condition we find ourselves in, if we get a day or two to train…we try and learn those conditions. We train, try and assess the conditions, see the previous games (at that venue), and try to put together a good game of cricket,” Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza said.
On the travelling fans of the team, Raza said: “Whichever corner they are sitting at, they will be the loudest. They keep lifting us up. But when we hear them, it gives us energy. These guys have done it out of their own pockets. Hopefully, it is the start of many more fans coming in. We will try everything to raise the Zimbabwe flag high. Hopefully, the numbers will increase and hopefully this is the start of a culture of fans going wherever the team plays.”
“Something we are familiar with. It is an uncontrollable. Nothing we can do about it. Momentum came too late for us in the tournament. There were big moments, especially against SL, where we did not get it right. It was a great experience for the players playing their first World Cups. Shows the pressure elite cricketers are under. Hopefully, we can prepare well for the next cycle,” said Ireland captain Loran Tucker.
