Chelmsford makes and breaks more dreams of World Cups

South African team also understood this. If Bangladesh wins at least one game or the match is canceled due to weather, South Africa will finish eighth in the World Cup Super League (WCSL) standings and advance directly to the next stage. At the same time, Ireland would have to qualify in Zimbabwe in June and July.

Ireland had some luck on Tuesday when they managed to reduce Bangladesh's score to 52/3 in 12 overs. But thanks to half-centuries of partnerships from Najmal Hossain, Touhid Hridoi, Mushfiqur Rahim, and Mehidi Hassan Miraz, Bangladesh scored 246/9. When Ireland started their reply, they scored 65/3 in 16.3 overs, but then the match was interrupted due to rain.

Now Ireland will have to travel to Zimbabwe for the elimination matches. They have had to go this route before. In 1997, they competed in a World Cup qualifier, where they finished fourth and failed to qualify further, while Bangladesh, Kenya, and Scotland were able to continue on their way.

In 2005, Ireland finished second at the Champions Trophy, which was held in their home country, and because of that, they were able to make their World Cup debut in the Caribbean in 2007. They caused headaches for the International Cricket Council and hotel managers with victories over India and Pakistan and did much to eliminate the Asian giants, as well as their many fans, from the Super Eight. Not a bad result for a team that, at the time, ranked 14th out of 16 competitors.

In 2009, Ireland won the qualifying tournament held in South Africa, which gave them the opportunity to play in the 2011 World Cup in India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. This time they achieved a victory over England.

Unlike Ireland, South Africa never had to qualify for the World Cup. They played their first tournament in Australia and New Zealand in 1992 when they managed to sneak into the tournament despite the fact that their country was still under an apartheid regime.