Jangoo: West Indies 'don't deserve' World Cup qualifiers

West Indies batter Amir Jangoo stated that the team "don't deserve" to be heading to another ODI World Cup qualifier, acknowledging their recent batting struggles. Jangoo's comments came after West Indies suffered a one-wicket defeat to New Zealand in Barbados, which marked their third consecutive loss and a "difficult pill to swallow" as he put it.

Previously, West Indies appeared likely to qualify for the 2027 World Cup before the series against New Zealand, but the three straight defeats now mean they will have to earn their place through qualification once more. This outcome follows their successful qualification for the 2019 World Cup, although they missed out on the 2023 event.

The West Indies now face the prospect of participating in another qualifying event early next year, with the possibility of joining the three-team Super Series at the start of the World Cup to remain in contention for progression.

Jangoo opined, "The kind of quality that this team has, I think we don't deserve to be going to the qualifiers. It's just that's the position that we're in. But we know the quality that we have in our dressing room."

Throughout the series, the team has failed to bat out the full 50 overs across the last three matches, which Jangoo emphasized must be addressed internally among the batsmen. He himself had a notable performance in Barbados, returning to the team to score 51 runs off 73 balls, helping West Indies reach a total of 188. However, New Zealand managed to chase it down thanks to Mitchell Santner's timely support.

Reflecting on the need for improvement, Jangoo said, "We haven't batted 50 overs in three games now… We have one more game to rectify that. It's a pretty difficult pill to swallow because we know how much was at stake for this game." He concluded with a note of optimism about correcting their issues before the qualifiers.

On New Zealand's side, the team recorded a remarkable comeback after losing the opening match. Jayden Lennox, who played a key role in the recent successes, noted the importance of staying calm under pressure, while Mark Chapman’s impressive innings helped steer the team to victory.