'We don't deserve to be in qualifiers,' says Jangoo after fourth ODI defeat

BRIDGETOWN: West Indies batter Amir Jangoo admitted his side "don't deserve" to be heading for another ICC Men's ODI World Cup Qualifier, but conceded their batting failures have left them in a difficult position after a third consecutive defeat to New Zealand

West Indies suffered a heartbreaking one-wicket loss in the fourth ODI in Barbados on Sunday, handing New Zealand an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series.

The defeat has all but confirmed that the Caribbean side will once again have to earn qualification for the 2027 ODI World Cup through the qualifying tournament, having already missed direct qualification for the 2023 edition.

West Indies qualified automatically for the 2019 World Cup but failed to reach the 2023 tournament after a disappointing qualifying campaign.

They now face another high-pressure qualification route early next year, with the possibility of featuring in the three-team Super Series before the World Cup to keep their hopes alive.

Despite the setback, Jangoo believes the squad possesses enough talent to compete at the highest level.

"The kind of quality that this team has, I think we don't deserve to be going to the qualifiers," Jangoo said.

"It's just that's the position that we're in. But we know the quality that we have in our dressing room… all the bowlers, even young Vitel Lawes that we see making a breakthrough in this series here. So it's great signs to see. Going forward now, we have to play the right cricket and get those wins on the board for West Indies," he added.

Jangoo returned to the playing XI after missing the third ODI in Guyana and top-scored with 51 off 73 balls, helping West Indies post 188.

The hosts came close to defending the modest total as Gudakesh Motie claimed an impressive 5-47, but New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner guided his side over the line after a late dropped chance proved costly for West Indies.

However, West Indies' batting continued to disappoint, with the side bowled out in 44.1 overs after being dismissed in just 36 and 37.1 overs in the previous two matches.

"We haven't batted 50 overs in three games now," Jangoo said. "So I think that's on us, something that we have to look at internally in ourselves as batsmen and see how much we can better ourselves. And we have one more game to rectify that.

"[It's a] pretty difficult pill to swallow because we know how much was at stake here for this game. So it's all about understanding where we went wrong. We know the quality that we have in our team. I think going forward, we know what we have to work on, and for the qualifiers, we'll be ready," he stated.

Meanwhile, New Zealand have enjoyed an impressive recovery after losing the opening ODI in Guyana.

The visitors responded with two hard-fought victories on challenging pitches at Providence before edging another tense chase in Barbados to seal the series.

The closing stages added another memorable chapter for spinner Jayden Lennox, who had already taken nine wickets across the two wins in Guyana before walking to the crease with New Zealand needing just nine more runs on Sunday.

Lennox survived 10 deliveries during a crucial 26-minute partnership with Santner, including negotiating a maiden over from Lawes with the scores level.

"There was nerves but I think Santner, he's a pretty unflappable character, so for me to just kind of, I suppose, soak up a little bit of that calm energy was pretty nice," Lennox said.

Lennox also praised Mark Chapman, whose match-defining 80 off 82 balls, featuring four sixes, laid the foundation for New Zealand's successful chase.

"That kind of knock is all about momentum," Lennox said.

"Losing a couple [of wickets] early is always hard, then when you get someone assess the conditions, soak up a little bit of pressure and then counterpunch, that puts a little bit of onus back on them to be more disciplined and figure out a way to take control which they kind of did to a degree towards the back end," he concluded.