No automatic spot for West Indies

The West Indies team has missed out on an automatic spot in next’s Twenty20 World Cup following their poor showing at the recent Twenty20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates and Oman.

But Captain Kieron Pollard said the Caribbean side was unfazed by the prospect of having to go through a qualifying tournament.

The deposed champions finished fifth in Group 1 on two points after losing four of their five matches, slumping to 10th in the International Cricket Council rankings.

The top eight nations — the winner and runner-up of the Twenty20 World Cup along with the highest-ranked sides — qualify directly for the Super 12 group stage for next year’s tournament in Australia.

“Obviously we have to place a lot of emphasis on that. There’s nothing much we can do about it now,” Pollard said following West Indies’ defeat to Australia a week ago.

A cut-off date of Nov. 15 had been set for the qualification process, meaning West Indies will remain outside the top eight teams by the end of the T20 World Cup tournament.

Pollard, who took over the reins of the  white-ball side two years ago, said it was now important that the West Indies team overhauled its strategic approach to the shortest format.