West Indies in danger of missing out on Cricket World Cup qualification

West Indies enter the Super Six stage of the Cricket World Cup Qualifier with the distinct possibility of not making the cut for the main 50-over event in India.

Hosts Zimbabwe and former champions Sri Lanka are in prime position to clinch the final two qualifying spots for the tournament that will be staged from October 5 to November 19. But two-time champions the West Indies risk missing the tournament for the first time.

With four wins from four group matches, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka head into the Super Six stage - which begins on Thursday - with four points apiece, carrying over points earned for beating the teams that also advanced from the first round.

Backed by strong batting displays, which included making a national record 408-6 against the USA, Zimbabwe will be confident the runs will continue to flow.

The West Indies, though, are in dire straits after successive defeats to hosts Zimbabwe and the Netherlands, taking zero points into the next phase.

The loss to the Dutch was particularly painful as they first posted 374 before their opponents matched their score to force a Super Over. In it, Netherlands blasted 30 runs to secure victory.

The fallen giants, who won the first two World Cups in 1975 and 1979, now need to beat Scotland, Oman and Sri Lanka and also hope other results go their way to stand a chance of qualifying.

"I understand the journey I have to take with this team," said coach Daren Sammy, who captained the West Indies to two T20 World Cup titles.

"Sometimes you've got to reach rock bottom to come back up. I understand the challenges ahead and I also understand that things will not change overnight.

"It's a true reflection of where our cricket is at the moment. We have a lot of work to do."

While