Exciting times for Associates and Affiliates as details of development events confirmed
The ICC has confirmed the dates and venues of several of its development events scheduled for the coming months.
The ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier will take place in the United Arab Emirates from 9 to 13 February. This eight-team event featuring Associate and Affiliate sides vying for the two places on offer at the ICC World Twenty20 2010 in the West Indies will be played entirely at Dubai Sports City.
It had provisionally been planned for October 2009 but as a result of an availability issue with the venues, the teams unanimously approved February as the best alternative option. The format of the event will feature two groups of four teams, each playing three matches with the top two in each group meeting in a Super Four round, finishing with a final between the top two sides.
The groups were devised by virtue of seedings from the previous ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier, which was won jointly by Ireland and the Netherlands and, for the teams not participating in that event (Afghanistan, UAE and USA) on latest one-day rankings.
As such (with the seedings in brackets), Group A consists of Ireland (one), Scotland (three), Afghanistan (six) and the USA (eight) while Group B includes the Netherlands (two), Kenya (four), Canada (five) and the United Arab Emirates (seven). The exact match schedule will be announced in due course.
The first qualifier will go into Group C of the ICC World Twenty20 2010 along with South Africa and India while the second qualifier will join West Indies and England in Group D for the big event which runs from 30 April to 16 May 2010 in Guyana, St Lucia, St Kitts (women?s) and Barbados.
Next month, the ICC U/19 Cricket World Cup Qualifier takes place in Canada. The event will run from 1 to 13 September in the Toronto area with 10 teams competing for the six remaining places at the ICC U/19 Cricket World Cup 2010 which will be staged in New Zealand from 16 to 30 January.
The 10 teams in question have already progressed through regional qualifiers and so Canada, USA (Americas), Ireland, Netherlands (Europe), Sierra Leone, Uganda (Africa), Afghanistan, Hong Kong (Asia), Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea (East Asia-Pacific) will all be looking to book their tickets to New Zealand.
The Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 6 (WCL Div. 6) will be held in Singapore from 29 August until 5 September with teams from Singapore, Guernsey, Malaysia, Bahrain, Botswana and Norway battling it out in one group across three venues, Kalang, Singapore CC and Indian Association. The top two teams from WCL Div. 6 will win promotion to Division 5. More details on WCL Div. 6 will be released shortly.
But speaking of WCL Div. 5, the event is now confirmed for Nepal from 20 to 27 February 2010. The teams include host Nepal, Fiji, Jersey, USA and the two qualifiers from WCL Div. 6.
?These are exciting times for our Associate and Affiliate Members," said ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat.
?Whether it?s the youngsters aiming for a place at the ICC U/19 Cricket World Cup in New Zealand, our World Cricket League teams finding their place on the pathway to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 or the higher-ranked teams pushing for a World Twenty20 berth in the West Indies, there are some great opportunities for players beyond the Full Members to travel the world and play competitive cricket at international level," he said.
?This is all part of the ICC?s commitment to developing our great sport around the globe for the benefit of each of our 104 Members," said Mr Lorgat.
Details of other forthcoming events will be announced in due course.