Changes to venues and schedule for ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier

Details of warm-up fixtures now confirmedAccreditation process for the event has now closed
The ICC today confirmed a number of changes to the schedule for the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2009 to take place from 1 to 19 April.

The three ODI venues being used remain unchanged and will include Willowmoore Park in Benoni and Potchefstroom Cricket Ground for group and Super Eight matches and the Cricket Stadium, Centurion, for the final on 19 April.

The venue at Witrand is no longer being used and the four Group B matches that had been scheduled for that ground will now be split between Potchefstroom Cricket Ground, the Potchefstroom University ground and the Isak Steyl ground belonging to Vaal University of Technology at Vanderbijlpark.

In Group A, Willowmoore Park A has been replaced as a venue in the main draw by LC de Villiers Oval, Pretoria and Wanderers Oval 2 has been replaced by the Witwatersand (WITS) University Cricket Ground. Willowmoore Park A will host two warm-up matches on 28 and 29 March along with Willowmoore Park B and Hofmeyr Park at the Pretoria High School Old Boys club.

The changes were made for logistical reasons and because the ICC and Cricket South Africa wanted to ensure that the best possible facilities were available for such an important event.

In total there are eight venues being used for 54 matches played over 19 days with 12 teams fighting it out for the four qualification places on offer in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.

The full revised schedule is as follows:

Warm-up fixtures:

28 Mar – Oman v Afghanistan (Willowmoore Park A); Namibia v Bermuda (Willowmoore Park B); Canada v Netherlands (Hofmeyr Park, Pretoria High School Old Boys)

29 Mar – Uganda v Denmark (Willowmoore Park A); Scotland v Kenya (Willowmoore Park B); Ireland v UAE (Hofmeyr Park, Pretoria High School Old Boys)

ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier match schedule:

1 Apr – Ireland v Scotland (ODI, Willowmoore Park, Benoni); Canada v Oman (LC de Villiers Oval, Pretoria); Namibia v Uganda (Stan Friedman Oval, Krugersdorp); Kenya v Netherlands (ODI, Potchefstroom Cricket Ground); Bermuda v UAE (Potchefstroom University); Denmark v Afghanistan (Vaal University)

2 Apr – Scotland v Namibia (LC de Villiers Oval, Pretoria), Ireland v Oman (Stan Friedman Oval, Krugersdorp), Canada v Uganda (WITS University); Netherlands v Denmark (Potchefstroom University); Kenya v UAE (Vaal University); Bermuda v Afghanistan (Potchefstroom Cricket Ground)

3 Apr – Reserve/training day

4 Apr – Canada v Namibia (LC de Villiers Oval, Pretoria); Ireland v Uganda (Stan Friedman Oval, Krugersdorp); Scotland v Oman (WITS University); Kenya v Afghanistan (Potchefstroom University); Bermuda v Denmark (Vaal University); Netherlands v UAE (Potchefstroom Cricket Ground)

5 Apr – Reserve/training day

6 Apr – Ireland v Canada (ODI, Willowmoore Park, Benoni); Oman v Namibia (Stan Friedman Oval, Krugersdorp); Scotland v Uganda (WITS University); Kenya v Bermuda (ODI, Potchefstroom Cricket Ground); Netherlands v Afghanistan (Vaal University); UAE v Denmark (Potchefstroom University)

7 Apr – Reserve/training day

8 Apr – Scotland v Canada (ODI, Willowmoore Park, Benoni); Oman v Uganda (LC de Villiers Oval, Pretoria); Ireland v Namibia (WITS University); Netherlands v Bermuda (ODI, Potchefstroom Cricket Ground); UAE v Afghanistan (Vaal University); Kenya v Denmark (Potchefstroom University)

9 Apr – Reserve/training day

10 Apr – Good Friday

11 Apr – A2 v B1 (Willowmoore Park, Benoni); A4 v B3 (LC de Villiers Oval, Pretoria); A1 v B4 (Stan Friedman Oval, Krugersdorp); A3 v B2 (WITS University); A5 v B6 (Potchefstroom Cricket Ground); A6 v B5 (Potchefstroom University)

12 Apr – Easter Sunday

13 Apr – A4 v B2 (Willowmoore Park, Benoni); A2 v B4 (LC de Villiers Oval, Pretoria); A3 v B1 (Stan Friedman Oval, Krugersdorp); A1 v B3 (WITS University); ninth/10th-place play-off (Potchefstroom Cricket Ground), 11th/12th-place play-off (Potchefstroom University)

14 Apr – Reserve/training day

15 Apr – A3 v B4 (Willowmoore Park, Benoni); A1 v B2 (LC de Villiers Oval, Pretoria); A2 v B3 (Stan Friedman Oval, Krugersdorp); A4 v B1 (WITS University)

16 Apr – Reserve/training day

17 Apr – A3 v B3 (Willowmoore Park, Benoni); A1 v B1 (LC de Villiers Oval, Pretoria); A4 v B4 (Stan Friedman Oval, Krugersdorp); A2 v B2 (WITS University)

18 Apr – Reserve/training day

19 Apr – Final (ODI, Centurion); third/fourth-place play-off (ODI, Potchefstroom Cricket Ground); fifth/sixth-place play-off (ODI, Willowmoore Park, Benoni); seventh/eighth-place play-off (LC de Villiers Oval, Pretoria)

Note to reporters and editors: the process of media accreditation for the event is now closed. If you require accreditation and still have not applied please email lucy.benjamin@icc-cricket.com immediately.
The ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier, formerly known as the ICC Trophy, incorporates Divisions 1 and 2 of the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League and is the gateway for the top Associate and Affiliate teams into the premier one-day tournament in the world.

Day one of the event offers up perhaps the most eagerly awaited fixture of all with defending champion Scotland taking on fierce rival Ireland in an ODI at Willowmoore Park in what will be a repeat of the final in 2005.

Among the teams will be Afghanistan and Uganda, which both qualified from January’s Pepsi World Cricket League Division 3 event in Buenos Aires. The WCL was created to provide a clear pathway for teams outside the top 10 towards improvement and ultimately, the ICC Cricket World Cup. This global event gives ICC Associate and Affiliate Members the opportunity to play similarly ranked sides in meaningful competition regardless of where they are located in the world.

The 12 teams taking part in the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier are split into two groups of six teams. Ireland, Scotland, Canada, Oman, Namibia and Uganda make up Group A while Kenya, Netherlands, Bermuda, UAE, Denmark and Afghanistan form Group B.

Each side plays the other teams in its group once with the top four from the groups progressing to the Super Eight stage. The teams each play four Super Eight matches against the sides they did not meet in the group stage. All points won in the groups will be carried over to the Super Eight stage apart from those gained against the bottom two from each group.

The top two teams in the Super Eight stage will contest the final to be played at Centurion on 19 April. The third and fourth-placed sides will play-off at Potchefstroom Cricket Ground, the fifth and sixth-placed sides play off at Willowmoore Park, Benoni while the seventh and eighth-placed teams play off at LC de Villiers Oval, Pretoria.

The top four sides at the event qualify for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. The top six teams secure ODI status until 2013 and also qualify automatically for the ICC Intercontinental Cup 2009-10.

The bottom two teams from the CWCQ, which incorporates Divisions 1 and 2 of the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League, will be relegated to Division 3.