South Africa qualify for World Cup after Ireland-Bangladesh washout

South Africa secured direct qualification on Tuesday for the 50-over Cricket World Cup in India later this year after the first one-day international between Ireland and Bangladesh ended in a no-result washout.

Ireland had to win all three matches in a series against Bangladesh taking place at Chelmsford, the headquarters of English county Essex if they were to move up from 11th place in the points table.

Even if Ireland now take the series 2-0, they cannot surpass South Africa in eighth place in the World Cup Super League (WCSL) standings.

Ireland will now have to compete in the June 18-July 9 qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe, which also includes former champions West Indies and Sri Lanka.

The Irish were 65-3 in the 17th over, chasing Bangladesh's 246-9, made from a full 50 overs, when bad light and rain halted play at 4:34 PM local time. 

A minimum of 20 overs had to be bowled in Ireland's innings for a result to be declared under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method for rain-affected matches.

But the fixture was called off when the umpires deemed conditions too wet to restart play.

Josh Little, fresh from starring in the Indian Premier League led Ireland's attack with 3-61, with two wickets apiece for Graham Hume and Mark Adair, as Bangladesh were restricted to a seemingly modest total on a good pitch.

Mushfiqur Rahim celebrated his 36th birthday by top-scoring for the Tigers with 61 in front of a crowd of some 3,000 at Chelmsford, mainly consisting of Bangladesh fans.

Ireland, however, soon found themselves in trouble at 27-2 following the loss of experienced opener Paul Stirling and captain Andrew Balbirnie.

The series continues on Friday. The first spots in the 10-team World Cup go to the top eight finishers of the WCSL, a competition that has run over the last three years.

Reigning champions England, India, New Zealand, Australia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan have already guaranteed their places.