A beleaguered Sri Lankan cricket team failed to secure direct qualification for the 2019 World Cup after losing the fourth One-Day International of their five-match series against India in Colombo on Thursday. They are currently 4-0 down in the series and will now need to depend on West Indies to gain direct qualification, according to a release from the International Cricket Council on Friday.
The 1996 world champions and two-time finalists needed at least two wins against India in the series to secure a direct spot in the tournament which will take place in 2019 in the United Kingdom. Even if Sri Lanka win the last match in the series, they will only gain one extra point and reach 88 which may not be enough.
According to the release, West Indies, who are currently ranked ninth with 78 points, will have a chance to overtake Sri Lanka and secure a direct spot in the tournament by beating Ireland and whitewashing England in the ODI series in September. If Sri Lanka suffer a 5-0 whitewash, West Indies could qualify by beating Ireland and recording a 4-1 series win against England.
In a new format, only the top-ranked seven teams on September 30 in 2017, apart from hosts England, achieve direct qualification for the tournament in 2019.
The last two spots in the 10-team tournament will be decided through a qualifying tournament in 2018.