The West Indies suffered another disappointing batting display, leading to their elimination from World Cup contention for the first time in history. In the opening clash of the World Cup qualifier Super 6 stage, the Maroon Men lacked the motivation and resolve to mount a serious challenge against their Scottish counterparts.
Sent in to bat, the West Indies faltered as they were bowled out for a meager 181 runs. Jason Holder top-scored with 45, followed by Guyanese player Romario Shepherd with 36. This inning marked their worst performance in the qualifiers after posting scores of 350-plus against the Netherlands in a previous match.
The troubles began from the opening spell, with Johnson Charles departing for a duck after facing only six balls, quickly followed by Shamarh Brooks. Brandon King managed a quickfire 22 off 22 balls, but the rest of the batting lineup, including Shai Hope (13), Kyle Mayers (5), and Nicholas Pooran (21), struggled against the Scottish bowlers.
Despite efforts from Romario Shepherd and Jason Holder, who tried to salvage a respectable score, the West Indies collapsed as the tail-enders failed to rescue the despondent side. Scotland’s Brandon McMullen claimed 3 wickets for 32 runs, while Chris Sole and Mark Watt picked up two wickets each, dismissing the lethargic-looking West Indies.
In the chase, Scotland’s opener Christopher McBride fell for a first-ball duck, but it had little impact on their overall performance. Matthew Cross scored 74 runs from 107 balls, while McMullen contributed 69 runs from 106 balls, leading Scotland to an easy victory.
With this loss, the West Indies, who previously suffered shock defeats to the Netherlands and Zimbabwe, are now unable to qualify for the World Cup main draw. It is a significant setback for the former two-time World One Day International champions, who will have to watch the remaining matches from home.
Scotland, on the other hand, must win against hosts Zimbabwe and the Netherlands to secure progression. Their next match is against Zimbabwe on Tuesday, with their final game against the Dutch taking place on Thursday in Bulawayo.