Afghanistan qualifies for 2027 ODI World Cup [Source: AFP]Afghanistan cricket’s rise has been one of the stories in the last 10 years, and they once again showed their remarkable consistency by directly qualifying for the 2027 ODI World Cup. Only the top eight teams were set to receive direct qualification for the marquee event, and Afghanistan secured their place without relying on other teams.The Asian side needed just a solitary win in the ongoing ODI series against Ireland, and the team achieved their target by defeating the home side in the second game on Friday.Afghanistan directly qualifies for 2027 World CupEven before the Ireland vs Afghanistan series started, the Afghans were eighth in the ODI points table, but they still needed a win to secure their place in the 2027 ODI World Cup.The first ODI between the two sides got abandoned due to rain, and the Afghans managed to win the second ODI to qualify for the ICC event next year. South Africa and Zimbabwe, the two hosts, have secured their place in the World Cup next year, alongside India, Australia, New Zealand, England, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, who have also reached the mega event next year.Just the second time Afghanistan have directly qualified for ODI World CupInterestingly, this is just the second time the Afghans have directly managed to qualify for an ODI World Cup by finishing inside the top eight. It was for the first time in 2023 that the Afghanistan team managed to reach the main event by securing a place in the top eight of the ICC rankings.Also Read: Cricket's Big Three Member Plans To Boycott Ireland For Hosting AfghanistanThe team also participated in the 2015 and 2019 editions, but they secured their place by playing the qualification matches.Ireland's 2027 direct qualification hopes ended by AfghanistanWhile the result of the second ODI brought immense joy for Afghanistan, the same cannot be said about the hosts, Ireland, whose World Cup direct qualification hopes ended with the heavy loss.For Ireland to somehow stay alive in the direct qualification for the 2027 ODI World Cup, they needed to beat Afghanistan 4-0 in the series, but with the first ODI getting abandoned and the team losing the second match, the hopes officially ended as the Irish team will now play the qualifiers to secure their place in next year’s marquee ICC event.They will have to compete in the global qualifier tournament for a chance to reach the 14-team competition.With Ireland loss, West Indies fail to secure direct World Cup qualificationNot only the Irish team, but the West Indies side also suffered a major jolt with Afghanistan’s win. The Men in Maroon had kept their eyes on the five-match ODI series, as they needed Ireland to beat Afghanistan by a margin of 4-0, and then they just had to win a single ODI game in the series against India to secure their place.However, the Irish loss has hurt the Windies, as even if they win the ODI series against India later this year, they still won’t make it to the marquee event and will have to play the ICC qualifiers to get into the 2027 ODI World Cup.Also Read: BCCI vs Cricket Australia Heating Up! IPL Participation In Dark Clouds After Head Coach’s Latest Comments
