For the first time in one-day cricket World Cup's history, West Indies will not compete in the tournament after losing to Scotland by 7 wickets in the ICC World Cup Qualifier match in Harare on Saturday. (More Cricket News)
Brandon McMullen produced an all-round performance, first claiming 3 wickets in routing West Indies for 181 and then scoring 69 runs in the run chase.
After being put into bat first, West Indies got off to the worst possible start, losing more than half their squad before the 15th over. It was Jason Holder (45) and Romario Shepherd's (36) 77-run partnership that put them in a somewhat respectable position in the match.
Nonetheless, defending 182 was going to be a daunting task for the Shai Hope-led side regardless of a minnow country as opposition.
As things turned out, the Windies struck in the first ball of their defense, but it only went downhill for them from there on.
Matthew Cross (74*) and McMullen (69) put on a 125-run partnership for the second wicket. Despite West Indies striking on two more occasions, the effort was not going to be enough.
Earlier, McMullen bowled nine overs on the trot, registering figures of 3-32 in his spell.
West Indies are a two-time ODI World Cup winner, claiming the prestigious trophy in 1975 and 1979.
Hope was recently handed the captain's duty and his inexperience in the leadership position was evident at times. The Windies' losses to Zimbabwe and the Netherlands certainly put a nail in the coffin. Scotland are sure to relish this win, having endured the pain of a controversial loss in the 2018 World Cup Qualifiers against the same opponent.
