Who will take the final two ICC Cricket World Cup Spots?

07 Jan 2014

January 7th 2014 by ICC |

The race for the final two places in next year’s ICC Cricket World Cup starts next week with the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier taking place in New Zealand which will see 10 teams play-off for the final two spots at the main event, the runners up in these qualifiers will join Ireland in Pool B of the 2015 Cricket World Cup.

Group A Preview

Canada, Scotland and the UAE look good to progress to the Super Six Stage

Top seed UAE, third seed Scotland and sixth seed Canada are the three strong contenders looking to qualify for the Super Six stage from Group A of the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier New Zealand 2014 (ICC CWCQ), which will be staged at seven venues from 13 January to 1 February.

Apart from these three sides, eighth seed Hong Kong and ninth seed Nepal are the other two sides in the group, whose matches will be played in Christchurch, Queenstown and Rangiora.

The UAE finished third behind Ireland and Afghanistan in the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Championship 2011-13 (WCLC). Ireland and Afghanistan thus progressed to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 (ICC CWC) from the WCLC, leaving the UAE as the highest-seeded side at the ICC CWCQ.

The UAE won the ICC CWCQ, which was then known as the ICC Trophy, in 1994. That remains its only ICC CWCQ title yet and was one that earned it its only ICC CWC appearance (at the 1996 edition).

History, however, will be against the UAE, given its performance at the last four editions of the CWCQ. It finished 10th in 1997, fifth in 2001, sixth in 2005 and seventh in 2009.

Featuring an experienced side, the UAE will bank on Shaiman Anwar, who topped the batting averages at the WCL Championship with 625 runs from 14 innings at an average of 52.08, to change their fortunes.

Its 42-year-old captain Khurram Khan, who took the most wickets for the UAE (19 from 14 matches at an average of just 14.36) at the WCLC, said: “Even though it is the top seed, it will be difficult for the UAE right from the group stage.

“The conditions in New Zealand are completely different to those in the UAE. We practise and play mostly on dry wickets, but in New Zealand it swings and seams. So it will be a challenge for our batsmen to score heavily and for the pacers to handle the pressure of leading the attack.”

Scotland is the next highest seed in Group A, at third. Its encounter against Canada on 23 January will be the only One-Day International (ODI) in the group.

Their head-to-head record suggests Scotland will be the stronger side in one of the most eagerly anticipated matches of the tournament. It has beaten Canada six times out of eight in ODIs, for a win-percentage of 75. Moreover, Scotland has won the last three completed matches between the two teams.

Scotland finished fifth in the WCLC, winning seven of its 14 matches. It is bidding to qualify for the ICC CWC for the third time after 1999 and 2007. It won the ICC CWCQ in 2005, but more recently failed to qualify for ICC CWC 2011 after finishing sixth in the ICC CWCQ 2009.

Skipper Kyle Coetzer, who was the WCLC’s second-highest run-scorer with 595 from 11 innings at an average of 59.50, said: “Looking at the group, and especially in a tournament like this, we simply have to take each game at a time. We are not focusing on any player or team in particular, as we prepare for the event.”

Canada, which is seeded sixth in New Zealand, finished a disappointing eighth in the WCL Championship. The team is looking to revive its fortunes under new coach Andy Pick and new captain Jimmy Hansra, who has taken over the reins after Ashish Bagai’s retirement.

Canada will be without the services of its leading scorer in the WCL Championship, Hiral Patel. Given the conditions in New Zealand, it will rely on experienced right-arm medium bowler Rizwan Cheema, who was its best bowler in the WCLC by a wide margin, having taken 18 wickets from 10 matches at an average of 19.27.

Assessing the two groups, Hansra said: “Both Group A and Group B are evenly poised, and the tournament format means there will be no meaningless matches. So we’ll have to be on our toes throughout, as we aim to advance to the Super Six.”

Canada’s experience of playing on the big stage will be useful. Of all the teams in Group A, Canada has played in the ICC’s biggest event, the CWC, the most number of times (four times - in 1979, 2003, 2007 and 2011).

Canada has also performed strongly at the last three editions of the ICC CWCQ, finishing third in 2001 and 2005 and second in 2009. It has never won the ICC CWCQ, with its best performance a runner-up finish in 1979.

Hong Kong, seeded eighth, did not qualify for the last two editions of the ICC CWCQ. It will be looking to advance to the second round for only the third time after 1994 and 1997.

Hong Kong earned the right to play in the ICC CWCQ NZ 2014 by finishing fourth in the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 2 2011. Having never qualified for the ICC CWC, Hong Kong will be looking, first of all, to cause a few upsets and qualify to the Super Six stage.

Leading Hong Kong in New Zealand is Jamie Atkinson, who has previously played ODIs against India and Pakistan, besides playing county cricket for Warwickshire as a wicketkeeper-batsman.

Nepal, the remaining team in Group A, is seeded ninth, and qualified for ICC CWCQ 2014 by winning the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 3 2013.

In its only previous appearance at the ICC CWCQ, Nepal failed to go beyond the group stage.

Nepal will rely heavily on its skipper and all-rounder Paras Khadka, who was the third-highest run-getter at the WCL Div. 3 with 176 runs from six innings, and who also took six wickets in that event.

The top three teams from each group of the ICC CWCQ NZ 2014 will progress to the Super Six stage. The top two sides at the end of that stage will not only reach the final but also qualify for the ICC CWC 2015 and complete the 14-team tally for that event, which will be staged in Australia and New Zealand from 14 February to 29 March.

Squads:

Canada – Jimmy Hansra (captain), Harvir Baidwan, Trevin Bastiampillai, Khurram Chohan, Parth Desai, Nikhil Dutta, Jeremy Gordon, Ruvindu Gunasekara, Nitish Kumar, Usman Limbada, Cecil Pervez, Raza Rehman, Junaid Siddiqui, Zeeshan Siddiqui, Hamza Tariq

Hong Kong - Jamie Atkinson (captain), Tanwir Afzal, Irfan Ahmed, Nadeem Ahmed, Haseeb Amjad, Waqas Barkat, Mark Chapman, Mark Ferguson, Babar Hayat, Aizaz Khan, Nizakat Khan, Courtney Kruger, Ankur Sharma, Manjinder Singh, Mark Wright

Nepal – Paras Khadka (captain), Pradeep Airee, Prithu Baskota, Binod Bhandari, Mahesh Chhetri, Shakti Gauchan, Sompal Kami, Avinash Karn, Subash Khakurel, Gyanendra Malla, Anil Mandal, Jitendra Mukhiya, Sagar Pun, Basant Regmi, Sharad Vesawkar

Scotland – Kyle Coetzer (captain), Richie Berrington, Freddie Coleman, Matty Cross, Gordon Drummond, Gordon Goudie, Majid Haq, Moneeb Iqbal, Michael Leask, Matt Machan, Calum Macleod, Preston Mommsen, Safyaan Sharif, Rob Taylor, Iain Wardlaw

United Arab Emirates – Khurram Khan (captain), Amjad Ali, Shaiman Anwar, Nasir Aziz, Salman Faris, Manjula Guruge, Amjad Javed, Rohan Mustafa, Muhammad Naveed, Swapnil Patil, Ahmed Raza, Kamran Shahzad, Vikrant Shetty, Shadeep Silva, Chirag Suri

Group A schedule:

Mon 13 Jan – UAE v Nepal, Rangiora; Scotland v Hong Kong, Queenstown

Tue 14 Jan – Reserve day for UAE v Nepal and Scotland v Hong Kong

Wed 15 Jan – UAE v Canada, Rangiora

Thu 16 Jan - Scotland v Nepal, Queenstown; Reserve day for UAE v Canada

Fri 17 Jan – Canada v Hong Kong, Rangiora; Reserve day for Scotland v Nepal

Sat 18 Jan – Reserve day for Canada v Hong Kong

Sun 19 Jan – Hong Kong v Nepal, Rangiora; UAE v Scotland, Queenstown

Mon 20 Jan – Reserve day for Hong Kong v Nepal and UAE v Scotland

Tue 21 Jan – Canada v Nepal, Christchurch

Wed 22 Jan – Reserve day for Canada v Nepal

Thu 23 Jan – Scotland v Canada, Christchurch; UAE v Hong Kong, Queenstown

Fri 24 Jan – Reserve day for Scotland v Canada and UAE v Hong Kong

Group B Preview

The Netherlands, Kenya and Namibia favourites to qualify for the Super Six stage

Second seed the Netherlands, fourth seed Kenya and fifth seed Namibia are the front-runners to qualify for the Super Six stage from Group B of the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier New Zealand 2014 (ICC CWCQ), which will be staged from 13 January to 1 February.

Apart from these three sides, seventh seed Papua New Guinea (PNG) and 10th seed Uganda are the other two sides in the group, whose matches will be played in Mount Maunganui, New Plymouth and Lincoln.

The Netherlands finished fourth in the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Championship 2011-13 (ICC WCLC), behind winner Ireland, Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Ireland and Afghanistan qualified automatically for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, while the UAE has been top seeded for the ICC CWCQ after being the highest ranked side from the ICC WCLC.

The Netherlands is vastly experienced having previously played in the ICC Cricket World Cup in 1996, 2003, 2007 and 2011. It also has a proud record at the ICC CWCQ, previously known as the ICC Trophy, when it was the runner-up in 1986 and 1990, finished third in 1994, won the event in 2001 and was third in 2009 when the tournament was staged in South Africa.

Peter Borren, Mudassar Bukhari, Daan van Bunge, Pieter Seelaar and Eric Szwarczynski are the survivors from the 2009 campaign. Borren, who also represented New Zealand in the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2002, was one of the two batsmen to show form in the recently concluded ICC WCLC when he finished with 280 runs at an average of 35.

Speaking about his team’s chances in Group B, Borren said: “We have a very good chance of qualifying. I think we have a very well-drilled side that has a great balance of talent and experience.”

Kenya, which finished sixth in the ICC WCLC, is looking for a change in fortunes under new player-cum-coach Steve Tikolo and new captain Rakep Patel. Kenya has many campaigners in its squad from the ICC CWCQ 2009. Only Ragheb Aga, Duncan Allan, Irfan Karim, Shem Ngoche and Nelson Odhiambo didn’t feature for the side in South Africa.

Kenya is the only team in the tournament to have played in five successive ICC Cricket World Cups – 1996 to 2011. It also has a good record in the ICC CWCQ, having reached the semi-finals in 1990 and finished as the runner-up in 1994 and 1997. It managed a fourth-place finish at the last edition of the ICC CWCQ.

The Netherlands’ and Kenya match in Lincoln on 23 January will be the only match in Group B that will be classified as an ODI. On a head-to-head, the Netherlands and Kenya have played nine times with the Dutch winning seven matches, including victories in the last four ODIs.

Fifth seed Namibia finished seventh in the ICC WCLC, winning two matches out of 12. The African side is looking to qualify for its second ICC CWC, after having played the 2003 tournament which was staged in South Africa. For Namibia, captain Sarel Burger, JB Burger, Louis Klazinga, Bernard Scholtz, Nicolaas Scholtz, LP van der Westhuizen and Craig Williams were all members of the squad for South Africa four years ago.

Namibia finished eighth in the last edition of the ICC CWCQ in 2009. Its chances in this edition will hinge largely on the bowling form of Christi Viljoen, who took 23 wickets in the ICC WCLC, and Raymond van Schoor, who scored 360 runs at an average of 30 in the same competition.

Assessing his opponents in Group B, Namibia captain Sarel Burger said: “I think you can’t single out any team as the biggest threat or as the one to watch out for. Each one is a quality side, and we need to take them all on with full drive and accord them their due respect.”

Papua New Guinea, which is seeded seventh in New Zealand, had finished third in the 1982 edition, but didn’t go beyond the first round in 2001, finished 11th in 2005 and did not qualify for the 2009 edition.

PNG has earned the right to play in this event by finishing third in the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 2 2011, while Uganda has qualified for the event after finishing second in the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 3 2013. Uganda has previously played three times in this tournament, having finished 10th in 2001, 12th in 2005 and 10th in 2009.

Squads:

Kenya – Rakep Patel (captain), Ragheb Aga, Duncan Allan, Irfan Karim, Shem Ngoche, Alex Obanda, Collins Obuya, Nehemiah Odhiambo, Nelson Odhiambo, Thomas Odoyo, Lameck Onyango, Elijah Otieno, Morris Ouma, Steve Tikolo, Hiren Varaiya

Namibia – Sarel Burger (captain), Stephan Baard, Jason Davidson, Gerhard Erasmus, Shalako Groenewald, Louis Klazinga, JP Kotze, Xander Pitchers, Bernard Scholtz, Nicolaas Scholtz, JJ Smit, Gerrie Snyman, Christi Viljoen, LP van der Westhuizen, Craig Williams

Netherlands – Peter Borren (captain), Wesley Barresi, Mudassar Bukhari, Daan van Bunge, Atse Buurman, Ben Cooper, Tim Gruijters, Vivian Kingma, Ahsan Malik, Paul van Meekeren, Stephan Myburgh, Michael Rippon, Pieter Seelaar, Michael Swart, Eric Szwarczynski

Papua New Guinea – Chris Amini (captain), Charles Amini, Mahuru Dai, Willie Gavera, Raymond Haoda, Geraint Jones, Chris Kent, Vani Vagi Morea, Kila Pala, Pipi Raho, Lega Siaka, Tony Ura, Assad Vala, Norman Vanua, Jack Vare

Uganda – Davis Arinaitwe Karashani (captain), Brian Masaba, Deusdedit Muhumuza, Roger Mukasa, Phillemon Selowa Mukobe, Benjamin Musoke, Abram Ndhlovu Mutyagaba, Frank Nsubuga, Patrick Ochan, Faruk Ochimi, Richard Gideon Okia, Raymond Otim, Almuzahim Hamza Saleh, Laurence Sematimba, Charles Waiswa

Group B schedule:

Mon 13 Jan – Netherlands v Uganda, Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui; Kenya v PNG, New Plymouth
Tue 14 Jan – Reserve day for Netherlands v Uganda and Kenya v PNG
Wed 15 Jan – Netherlands v Namibia, Bay Oval #2, Mt. Maunganui
Thu 16 Jan – PNG v Uganda, New Plymouth; reserve day for Netherlands v Namibia
Fri 17 Jan – Namibia v Kenya, Bay Oval, Mt. Maunganui; reserve day for PNG v Uganda
Sat 18 Jan – Reserve day for Namibia v Kenya
Sun 19 Jan – Kenya v Uganda, Bay Oval #2, Mt. Maunganui; PNG v Netherlands, New Plymouth
Mon 20 Jan – Reserve day for Kenya v Uganda and PNG v Netherlands
Tue 21 Jan – Namibia v Uganda, Bay Oval, Mt. Maunganui
Wed 22 Jan – Reserve day for Namibia v Uganda
Thu 23 Jan – Netherlands v Kenya, Lincoln*; PNG v Namibia, Bay Oval #2, Mt. Maunganui
Fri 24 Jan – Reserve day for Netherlands v Kenya and PNG v Namibia

For more about the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier in New Zealand please click here.