World Cup to be held without West Indies for first time

The West Indies will not be part of the upcoming ODI World Cup for the first time in the history of the tournament after being eliminated from the qualifiers, a result that has plunged the Caribbean region’s cricket to an unimaginable low. Clive Lloyd’s team had won the first two editions of the World Cup in 1975 and 1979 and played the 1983 final, in which they were beaten by India.
Coming into the do-or-die Super Six contest, West Indies, packed with some T20 superstars, suffered an embarrassing seven-wicket defeat to Scotland after managing a modest 181 in 43. 5 overs. It was an impressive show by the Scots, especially by allrounder Brandon McMullen, who first took three wickets and then scored a patient 69 off 106 balls to steer his side to a famous victory. This appears to be the final nail in the coffin for West Indies cricket, which has been in terminal decline for the past two decades.
West Indies placed ninth in the ODI Super League and only the top eight teams received direct access to the 10-team event, they were forced to compete in the World Cup Qualifiers. Ironically, West Indies were forced to play the qualifier before the 2019 World Cup too, but eventually managed to finish in top two along with Afghanistan to save themselves from embarrassment.