Sri Lanka gains at expense of Windies

London: Sri Lanka have secured an automatic berth at the 2019 Cricket World Cup at the expense of West Indies after the two-time champions lost to England in the opener of their one-day series on Tuesday.

West Indies, who have 78 points in the ODI team rankings, cannot now overtake Sri Lanka (86 points) ahead of the September 30 cut-off for automatic qualification regardless of how they do in the remaining four games. An unbeaten century from Jonny Bairstow helped England stroll to a seven-wicket victory over West Indies at Old Trafford.

Failure to grab an automatic spot is a significant comedown for Jason Holder's team, who won the first two World Cups in 1975 and 1979. They will now have to finish in the top two at a qualifier next year if they are to progress to the 2019 tournament in England and Wales.