ICC World Cup qualifier

With the ICC’s decision to reduce the number of teams in the cricket world cup to 10 the ICC World Cup qualifier will be a much more competitive tournament than ever before. The tournament which is scheduled to begin on 4th of March will decide which two teams will join the other 8 teams in England.

Format

The 10 teams are divided to 2 groups and will play against each other in round robin fashion. The top 3 teams from each group will play in the super six round with teams carrying points forward. The two teams with highest points after the super six round will be qualified to the ICC cricket world cup 2019.

Teams

• West Indies - No other team have higher stakes in this tournament than West Indies. As they fail to get into the top 8 teams in ICC ODI rankings prior to the cut off date they will have to play the qualification tournament for the first time. Needless to say an elimination from the world cup would be devastating to West Indies as they are two time champions and have played in all previous editions. To make matters worse Sunil Narine and Dwayne Bravo has pulled out of the tournament to play other leagues. Chris Gayle is included in the quad and if fit will be one of their biggest hopes. In a summary this tournament might accurately reflect how bad the cricket in Windies is.
• Zimbabwe - Their biggest assets in this tournament will be being the hosts.and the return of Brendon Taylor. They managed to win an ODI series in Sri Lanka for the first time in 2017 but that looks more like an outlier than an improvement of quality. If they can maintain that momentum they will have a chance to qualify for the world cup which they have been a part of since 1982.
• Ireland - For a long time Ireland was the leading associate nation with a clear difference from the rest. However things are not so anymore. Afghanistan dethroned them as the leading associate team before both of them got a chance to join the big boys in tests. England’s policy of snapping their best players have further diminished their power as a cricketing nation. With the new format the Irish have an uphill battle.
• Afganistan - The wonder kid in the arena. 10 years ago they were fighting in division 5. With their most recent ODI series win against Zimbabwe there seems no stopping of the rise of Afghanistan.  Their biggest weapon will be the T20 sensation Rashid Khan. With the talent they have in the squad it will not be hard to imagine 5 South Asian teams in the cricket world cup.
• Netherlands - The world cricket league champions. They now have ODI status till 2022. But it would be hard to think Netherlands winning the prize when we look at their opponents. Ryan Tendoeschate, the guy with the highest ODI average of 67.00 has to play out of his skin to be otherwise
• Scotland - They have played in 3 world cups but a trip across the border looks very unlikely.
• Hong Kong - They have never appeared in a world cup.
• Papua New Guinea - the team currently coached by Jason Gillespie, won ODI status in 2015. While their rise is exemplary their best chance to win a game will be the one against UAE.
• UAE - They got into the mix by winning the ICC division 2 championship, They have to punch way above their weight to at least get a shoe in the world cup. For UAE it will be more about making a mark among associates.
• Nepal - The newest kid in the block. Nepal is following Afganistan’s path. Even though they might miss the world cup this time the large popularity in cricket within the country will make them a force to consider in future. A 6th South Asian country among the cricketing elite clearly points where the center of cricket lies now.

Previous participants who missed out

• Kenya - 15 years ago they were the kings among associates. They had a dream run in 2003 which they ended as semi-finalists. After that Kenyan cricket went in a complete downward spiral. They lost all games in the division 2 tournament this year. They are now relegated to division 3 to play alongside Singapore, Oman and USA.
• Canada - Failed to qualify based on the net run rate in the qualification tournament.
• Namibia - Shared the same fate with Canada.
• Bermuda - For a long time it seems they would be restricted to 1 world cup appearance. Bermuda plays in division 4 now with Uganda, Vanavatu, Malaysia, Denmark and Jersey. No, they are not champions in division 4 even. They narrowly escaped a relegation to division 5.