Harare [Zimbabwe], July 2 : After two-time champions West Indies missed the chance to qualify for the ICC World Cup 2023 for the first time, former all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite called his team's failure "the lowest you can go."
The Super Six action on Saturday saw Scotland ease to a win over the West Indies. The champions of the 1975 and 1979 editions of the ICC World Cup will miss the global event for the first time.
The signs were there early in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2023 campaign but this is now "the lowest you can go," according to West Indies great Brathwaite.
"It has been a long time coming," Brathwaite was quoted as saying by ICC.
He stated that the warning flags were present early in the qualifying campaign, but that the team's performance was "stunning" in its failure.
"Obviously another format, T20, missed out (on the Super 12 stage) as well last year. So in white-ball cricket, there has been troubles in the past. I think this is the lowest you can go," he added.
West Indies' first-ever ODI loss to Scotland sealed their fate, though earlier defeats to Zimbabwe and Netherlands had already made qualification through the Super Six stage difficult.
"I think there's a lot of issues. Identification of talent is one, but then how do you develop that talent? It needs to be a situation where the guys that are identified, that there is a clear pathway from first-class and regional cricket to (under) 18 to international cricket. Then how you consistently back it with the right brand of cricket in place, the right structure, to ensure not only success periodically but sustained success," Brathwaite said.
With 0 points entering the crucial portion of the competition, West Indies had little room for error and most likely needed to win all three remaining matches, but they fell at the first hurdle.
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