GLORIOUS PAST: West Indies reached the first three World Cup finals, winning the inaugural edition in 1975 and repeating that achievement in 1979. PHOTO: AFP
NOTTINGHAM: West Indies coach Stuart Law is looking to the remainder of the ODI series against England to help him build a settled team ahead of next year's World Cup qualifying tournament.
Defeat in the first ODI at Old Trafford on Tuesday ended West Indies' hopes of gaining direct entry to the 2019 World Cup in Britain.
Instead the two-time champions will now have to come through a qualifying tournament, set to take place in Zimbabwe early next year, if they are to secure a spot in the business end of the showpiece 50-over event.
West Indies reached the first three World Cup finals, all staged in England, winning the inaugural edition in 1975 and repeating that achievement in 1979 before suffering a shock defeat by India at Lord's in the climax of the 1983 edition.
But this year saw the Caribbean side fail to qualify for the elite Champions Trophy one-day tournament as they were outside the world's top eight 50-over teams. So it was no surprise when West Indies missed out on an automatic place at the World Cup.
Following a washed-out second ODI at Nottingham's Trent Bridge on Thursday, Law's men only have three more matches in England — starting with Sunday's fixture in Bristol — and a three-match ODI series in New Zealand scheduled before the qualifiers.
"Our plan is to go to Zimbabwe next year with a settled team, a team where everyone knows their roles and what they want to achieve," Law told reporters at Trent Bridge. "It's a balancing act. I'd like to go to New Zealand with a team which is pretty settled before the qualifiers.”
Chris Gayle, who suffered a hamstring injury while warming-up at Trent Bridge, and fellow senior batsman Marlon Samuels returned for the limited-overs leg of West Indies' tour after missing the preceding 2-1 Test series loss.
Meanwhile, spinner Sunil Narine could come back into the ODI side as well.
Morgan hopes Hales, Buttler get Ashes chance
England one-day captain Eoin Morgan hopes Alex Hales and Jos Buttler have to change their schedules for the off-season by gaining selection for the Ashes tour of Australia.
As things stand, limited-overs opener Hales is heading to South Africa for their new Global League Twenty20 tournament, with wicketkeeper-batsman Buttler destined for a stint in the Bangladesh Premier League.
But all that could change if they are included in the Ashes squad, due to be announced on Wednesday.
Both Hales and Buttler have had a taste of Test cricket without nailing down a place and neither featured in any of this season's seven Tests at home to South Africa and West Indies.
But such is the uncertainty over England's batting, with only veteran opener Alastair Cook and skipper Joe Root currently certain of their places in the Test team's top order, that Hales could yet gain an Ashes place.
Meanwhile ODI gloveman Buttler may be on the plane to Australia as the reserve wicket-keeper behind Test incumbent Jonny Bairstow.
"Jos is going to Bangladesh and Alex is going to Stellenbosch in South Africa. That's their alternative plans," said Morgan of Hales and Buttler after the washed-out second one-day international against West Indies at Trent Bridge on Thursday. "I'd like to see them play in the Ashes series. Ashes and World Cups are the pinnacle of our careers so to see guys playing in that format and doing well would boost confidence massively.”
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