ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier: A guide to the teams

The line-up for the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier (CWCQ) has been confirmed.

With Nepal and UAE finishing in the top two at the ICC World Cricket League Division 2, the ten teams set to take part in March’s Qualifying Tournament are now finalised.

The CWCQ will take place in Zimbabwe between 4 and 25 March, with the two final spots at ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 up for grabs.

With the CWCQ line-up now confirmed, we profile all the teams who’re taking part.

West Indies

Two-time Cricket World Cup winners West Indies will have to go through the CWCQ as they were ranked outside of the top 8 in the MRF Tyres ICC ODI rankings at the cut-off date of 30 September 2017.

The Windies lifted the trophy at the first two editions in 1975 and 1979, where they were led by Clive Lloyd. Since then, they have played at every single World Cup, winning 41 of their 71 games.

Their last ODI win came on 2 July 2017, when they beat India at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, which preceded series defeats to England and New Zealand.

**Captain:**Jason Holder

Previous CWC best: Winners (1975, 1979)

**Top CWC run-scorer:**Brian Lara (1225)

**Top CWC wicket-taker:**Courtney Walsh (27)

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe have appeared at nine editions of the Cricket World Cup and are currently ranked 11th in the ODI rankings.

They have been regulars at the tournament, having played in every edition since their debut appearance in 1983, reaching the Super Six stage in both 1999 and 2003.

Zimbabwe are currently facing off against Afghanistan – who will be their rivals at the CWCQ – in an ODI series in the UAE.

They’ll be boosted by the opportunity to field quality batsman Brendan Taylor, who took a two-and-a-half-year break from internationals before returning to the fold in October 2017.

**Captain:**Graeme Cremer

Previous CWC best: Super Six (1999, 2003)

**Top CWC run-scorer:**Andy Flower (815)

**Top CWC wicket-taker:**Heath Streak (22)

Afghanistan

Afghanistan will be aiming to reach their second-ever Cricket World Cup following their debut appearance in 2015.

Of their six appearances at CWC15, they lost five and managed one win, beating Scotland by one wicket in a thriller in Dunedin.

Afghanistan’s rise up the ranks of international cricket has been remarkable. They became an Affiliate Member of the ICC in 2001, were granted Associate Membership in 2013, before becoming the first Associate Side to beat a Full Member nation in a bilateral series two years later.

They were awarded Test status back in June 2017 and will be hoping to continue their impressive ascent by qualifying for a second successive World Cup.

**Captain:**Asghar Stanikzai

Previous CWC best: Group Stage (2015)

**Top CWC run-scorer:**Samiullah Shenwari (254)

**Top CWC wicket-taker:**Shapoor Zadran (10)

Ireland

Since their debut appearance at the 2007 Cricket World Cup, Ireland have claimed a number of big scalps and gained lots of fans in the process.

They made an almost immediate impact in 2007, when they tied with Zimbabwe in their opener before famously defeating 4th-ranked side Pakistan to progress to the Super Eight stage.

They proved giant-killers again in 2011, when a stunning 113 off 63 balls from Kevin O’Brien led them to a fine win over England, successfully chasing down a target of 328 with three wickets to spare.

Their run of scalps continued in 2015 when they opened their campaign with a four-wicket win over West Indies.

Since CWC15, Ireland have been awarded Test status; beaten Afghanistan in an ODI series in December 2017, and recently won a Tri-Series which also featured Scotland and UAE.

**Captain:**William Porterfield

Previous CWC best: Super 8 (2007)

**Top CWC run-scorer:**William Porterfield (627)

**Top CWC wicket-taker:**Trent Johnston (16)

Netherlands

Netherlands booked their spot at the CWCQ by finishing top of the ICC World Cricket League Championship by three points.

In total, they’ve appeared at four editions of the Cricket World Cup (1996, 2003, 2007, 2011) winning two of their 20 games. Their first win came against Namibia in 2003 – also their first-ever ODI victory – before they thrashed Scotland by eight wickets in 2007 to claim their second-ever success at the tournament.

Netherlands won ten of their 14 matches in the WCL Championship, finishing three points clear of second-placed Scotland.

**Captain:**Peter Borren

Previous CWC best: Group Stage (1996, 2003, 2007, 2011)

**Top CWC run-scorer:**Ryan ten Doeschate (435)

**Top CWC wicket-taker:**Tim de Leede (14)

Scotland

Scotland won eight of their 14 games in the WCL Championship to finish second in the standings and confirm their place at the CWCQ.

They finished their WCL Championship campaign with two wins over Kenya and have since faced Ireland and UAE in a Tri Series, where they managed a victory over UAE.

Despite appearing at three editions of the Cricket World Cup (1999, 2007, 2015), they’re yet to record a victory at the tournament. They will be aiming to book their spot at CWC19 and get a win to their name.

**Captain:**Kyle Coetzer

Previous CWC best: Group Stage (1999, 2007, 2015)

**Top CWC run-scorer:**Kyle Coetzer (253)

**Top CWC wicket-taker:**Josh Davey (15)

Hong Kong

Hong Kong will have the opportunity to qualify for their first-ever Cricket World Cup when they take part in the CWCQ.

After 14 rounds of the WCL Championship, Hong Kong finished with eight wins and 18 points, enough to secure them third spot and a place at the CWCQ.

While they may not have made a Cricket World Cup appearance, they have turned out at the World Twenty20 on two occasions (2014, 2016), recording a victory over hosts Bangladesh in 2014.

**Captain:**Babar Hayat

Previous CWC best: N/A

**Top CWC run-scorer:**N/A

**Top CWC wicket-taker:**N/A

Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea were the final team to qualify for the CWCQ from the WCL Championship, as they finished in fourth spot.

Like Scotland and Hong Kong, they won eight of their games, but finished on 16 points as they lost six fixtures.

The CWCQ will give them an opportunity to qualify for their first-ever Cricket World Cup, after receiving ODI status in March 2014.

**Captain:**Assadollah Vala

Previous CWC best: N/A

**Top CWC run-scorer:**N/A

**Top CWC wicket-taker:**N/A

Nepal

Nepal confirmed their place at the CWCQ in the most dramatic fashion, with a last-ball victory over Canada in their final game at WCL Division 2.

They will be dreaming of qualifying for their first-ever Cricket World Cup, having made their debut appearance at the World T20 back in 2014.

They enjoyed a successful tournament in Bangladesh four years ago, winning two of their three group matches, but missed out on a place in the Super 10 stage on net run rate.

In their recent WCL Division 2 campaign, they finished top of the table after winning four of their five matches.

Captain: Paras Khadka

Previous CWC best: N/A

**Top CWC run-scorer:**N/A

**Top CWC wicket-taker:**N/A

UAE

UAE will have the opportunity to grab a spot at their third Cricket World Cup at next month’s Qualifier.

They first appeared at the tournament in 1996, when they won one of their five matches as they were eliminated at the group stage.

Their next appearance came at CWC15, as they suffered a tough tournament, losing all six of their matches.

UAE booked their place at the CWCQ thanks to a second-placed finish at WCL Division 2, where they won three of their five games to go through on net run rate.

Captain: Rohan Mustafa

Previous CWC best: Group Stage (1996, 2015)

**Top CWC run-scorer:**Shaiman Anwar (311)

**Top CWC wicket-taker:**Mohammad Naveed (8)

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