The Proteas have gained direct qualification to the 2023 World Cup.
If Ireland had won all three of the matches in the ongoing series against Bangladesh, the Proteas would have had to play in the World Cup qualifying tournament. Ireland and Bangladesh, however, shared a no-result in Tuesday’s opening ODI.
“We’re obviously chuffed to qualify directly because it makes life a lot simpler not having to go through the qualifying tournament,” Proteas limited-overs coach Rob Walter told ESPNcricinfo.
“But there would have been an upside to competing in the qualifier given the very quiet winter we have. What we have now is the chance to spend some quality time outside of competition getting ourselves ready for a marquee event
“We have a number of camps planned throughout the winter in the lead up to the Australia series which obviously forms our final preparation for the World Cup.
“There is also the A side tour to Sri Lanka, so we have tried to ensure significant skill development opportunities and time in the middle from a competitive point of view.”
South Africa join the following seven teams to have qualified directly for this year’s World Cup:
- Afghanistan
- Australia
- Bangladesh
- England
- New Zealand
- Pakistan
- India
Ireland, Sri Lanka, West Indies and others will compete for the final two World Cup berths during late June to mid-July’s 10-team qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe.
India will host the 2023 World Cup from 5 October to 19 November.
“I am pleased to learn that we’ve secured our qualification for the upcoming World Cup. If I look at the journey, it has been a tricky one for us to get to this point, but I think looking at the last couple of months, a lot of positive strides have been made as a team,” said Proteas ODI captain Temba Bavuma.
“We are well positioned to build on the momentum and confidence that we’ve gained. Now is the perfect opportunity for us to really focus on the World Cup from a preparation point of view, nail down on our plans and brush up on areas that we feel we need to brush up on.
“Personally, it will be a major honour and privilege for me to be leading the team in my first-ever 50-over World Cup and I hope we can achieve some good things as a team.”