10 teams vie for 2 ICC World Cup spots

DUBAI: With two spots up for grabs for the 2015 Cricket World Cup, 10 teams head into next month’s Qualifiers in New Zealand knowing that the tournament represents the final chance to qualify for the ICC’s flagship event that will be staged in Australia and New Zealand.

The qualification process had started in each of the five regions in 2011, and features 10 leading Associate and Affiliate teams. The finalists from January’s event will join the 10 Full Members as well as Ireland and Afghanistan in cricket’s biggest event, which progressed after securing the top two positions at the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Championship.

The sides taking part in the January 13 to February 1 Qualifiers in New Zealand are Canada, Hong Kong, Kenya, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, Papua New Guinea, Scotland, Uganda and United Arab Emirates. The 10 teams have been divided into two groups of five, with the top three progressing into the Super Sixes stage of the tournament.

UAE, Scotland, Canada, Hong Kong and Nepal have been placed in Group A while Netherlands, Kenya, Namibia, PNG and Uganda have been clubbed in Griup B. The two groups have been drawn up on the basis of the teams’ rankings going into the Qualifiers. The side that wins the tournament will join Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Pool A, while the runner-up will team up with India, Ireland, Pakistan, South Africa, West Indies and Zimbabwe in Pool B.