More matches were due to be played in Zimbabwe to determine participants in the 2022 tournament in New Zealand, but the ICC ended the playoffs early due to concerns over the COVID-19 situation in Africa.

The qualifying slots have been decided by the team standings, which means Bangladesh, Pakistan and the West Indies will advance, according to an ICC statement. Sri Lanka and Ireland occupy the other two niches.

“We are incredibly disappointed to have to cancel the rest of this event, but with travel restrictions from a number of African countries imposed on such short notice, there was a serious risk that the teams could not return home.” said Chris Tetley, ICC Events Manager.

“We have explored a number of options to allow us to complete the event, but this is not feasible and we will be removing the Zimbabwe teams as soon as possible. Bangladesh, Pakistan and the West Indies will now qualify for the event. ICC Women’s World Cup 2022 because of their ranking, while Sri Lanka and Ireland will also join them in the next cycle of the ICC Women’s Championship, “he added.

The Bangladesh team got off to a good start, winning the first match against Pakistan by 3 wickets. They went on to beat the United States by 270 points, with Sharmin Akhter marking Bangladesh’s first century with the bat.

But the team stumbled in their third game with a surprise loss to Thailand.