Cricket World Cup League 2: Early State of Play

By Daniel Beswick

The road to the Cricket World Cup for 2027 has begun, with seven of League 2's eight teams so far featuring in the second edition of the competition.

Two tri-series through the new cycle, an early look at the eight teams fighting for automatic spots at the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Qualifier.

Watch all the League 2 action live and free on ICC.tv (in select regions)

1st: Scotland

7 matches, 4 wins, 2 losses, 1 No-result

The defending Cricket World Cup League 2 champions look a good chance to defend their crown, boasting arguably a stronger player group than the pool of talent that claimed inaugural title honours.

Already with one of best full strength sides at this level, the Scots have been complemented by a number of players to perform after being called up as cover. Charlie Cassell made headlines with his seven-wicket haul on ODI debut against Oman, with fellow quick Jasper Davidson claiming 4/23 in his debut earlier in the tri-series against the same opposition.

It's also been a fruitful time for Scotland's batters, with Michael English marking his return to the set-up with a century against Namibia. Left-hand brute George Munsey leads the competition in runs early on (302 runs at 50.33), with the likes of captain Richie Berrington (228 runs) and Brandon McMullen (181 runs) performing at a consistent level.

In the wings waits left-handed power hitter Oli Hairs, who plundered an astonishing 255 from just 130 deliveries in a Scotland A side against the touring Omanis before the tri-series began.

Cricket World Cup League 2 standings

2nd: Canada

4 matches, 4 wins, 0 losses

It’s been a dream start for the Canadians, beginning with a 4-0 record after their promotion into the competition. In saying that, the honeymoon period is probably over, not only facing stiff Dutch and American opposition in their next tri-series, but also doing it without recently-departed coach Pubudu Dassanayake.

On top of that, there is a change of leadership on the field too, with Nicholas Kirton taking the reins from Saad Bin Zafar.

Kirton has found a groove with the bat in recent times, making 229 ODI runs at 45.80 in 2024, on top of a respectable T20 World Cup campaign.

Harsh Thakur joins Kirton as a key man with the bat, off to a flier in the League 2 campaign with 234 runs to his name in his first four innings, and only dismissed once in the campaign to date.

With the ball, the work of Kaleem Sana remains crucial, with fellow quick Dilon Heyliger an enforcer with the capability to dig in short if needed.

3rd: Namibia

8 matches, 4 wins, 4 losses

Namibia’s men’s team have been one of the success stories in Associate cricket across the last five years, though it’s fair to say the Eagles are in a mini rebuild as they endeavour to level up their play.

There are reasons to be excited on the bowling front, with a number of youngsters stepping into senior ranks. Ben Shikongo has picked up more of the fast bowling load, with the likes of Junior Kariata and Jack Brassell tasting recent senior cricket, and Hanro Badenhorst rubbing shoulders with the senior group in their recent tri-series squad in Scotland.

For the older members of the group, fitness and the level of batting is where the side are aiming to improve. Once an important member of the bowling attack, JJ Smit’s focus is now almost completely towards his batting, fellow quick Jan Frylinck used as a middle-order batting option, his bowling workload also lessened.

Stability at the top of the order will help their cause, as the side tries to find the right opening combination. Former U19 captain Lo-handre Louwrens has made a return, with JP Kotze and Michael van Lingen also trying to find their groove.

4th: The Netherlands

4 matches, 2 wins, 2 losses

For all their success at Cricket World Cup 2023, the Dutch group will be the first to tell you of the struggles and travails of Associate one day cricket, and their early 2-2 start highlights the tough nature of the competition.

Scott Edwards' first League 2 assignment took them to Nepal back in February, dropping a match to the hosts as well as Namibia, though they return home for their second tri-series where they host USA and Canada.

While likely stricken by selection headaches as a number of players turn out in County cricket, the Dutch do boast a strong selection pool to draw from, a positive consequence of similar team-picking dilemmas back in their Super League campaign during the last Cricket World Cup qualifying cycle.

Helped in large part by his 6/34 effort during the Nepal tour, finger spinner Aryan Dutt has raced to 11 wickets at 12.27 in the first four matches of the Dutch campaign, backed up by a resurging Vivian Kingma, who boasts a wicket every 20 deliveries in the cycle thus far.

5th: Oman

4 matches, 1 win, 2 losses, 1 No-result

Oman were clubhouse leaders for a large chunk of the last cycle, left to watch on as Scotland overtook them to finish in top spot. This time, the men from the sultanate will need to make ground lost to their rivals, winning just one match in their first tri-series.

The team boast extensive experience at international level, though with the side containing several members in the late 30s and early 40s, newer players must step up over the next three years for the men in red to make a serious push.

The transition to blood younger players has been slow, though the emergence of wicket-keeper/batter Pratik Athavale and the middle order work of Khalid Kail should move the team forward. Taking over captaincy reins, Aqib Ilyas has continued to churn out runs in the middle order, and his mix of both off-spin and leg-spin complements a solid bowling attack.

The ever-present Bilal Khan still leads the pace attack, recently reaching 100 ODI wickets. The 37-year-old at this point has shown little sign of slowing down, and hes output in the cycle at this stage remains crucial.

6th: Nepal

4 matches, 1 win, 3 losses

It was not the most electric start from Rohit Paudel's men on home soil to begin the campaign, dropping three of four matches, but history suggests the side can make up ground in a hurry with a young group boasting immense potential.

The side may have a T20 World Cup campaign in the back of their minds back when they hosted the opening tri-series with Namibia and The Netherlands, though a focus on ODI cricket for the forseeable future should help kickstart their campaign.

Batting proved tricky in the home tri-series at the Tribhuvan University ground, with Aasif Sheikh (133 runs) the only player to average over 40 to begin the campaign. The side's bowlers were given little chance to turn things around defending small totals, and the side will be desperate to improve in Canada and the USA across September and October, where they play back-to-back tri-series.

7th: UAE

3 matches, 3 defeats

It’s still early days for the Emiratis, but dropping the three matches on home soil and giving everyone a competition headstart is far from ideal, and a set playing XI to make a move up the table looks far from finalised.

Muhammad Waseem's side struggled for runs on slower Dubai International Cricket Stadium surface back in March, bowled out for under 200 twice and falling short in a DLS-adjusted chase.

The paltry totals meant the jury is still out on the side's bowling thus far in the cycle, but young left-arm spinner Aayan Khan has continued his strong start to international cricket, taking five wickets across 36 overs at an economy of 3.96. Elder statesman Zahoor Khan has also kept things tight (economy 4.33) in his first three outings, taking four wickets.

UAE's next League 2 assignment is a trip to Namibia in September, also meeting the USA.

8th: USA

Yet to play

The Americans have so far been keen observers so far in the cycle, though feature in three of the next four tri-series in the cycle.

No doubt buoyed by their Super Eights finish at the T20 World Cup, the playing group is bolstered too for 50-over cricket, and the playing group is stronger than the side that finished fifth in the last League 2 cycle. The likes of Andries Gous and Harmeet Singh should make their ODI debuts, and 50-over cricket is the preferred format for T20 World Cup hero Aaron Jones, who should be the glue of the middle order.

Players like Sanjay Krishnamurthi and Sai Mukkamalla who missed out on a T20 World Cup spot will also be in selection conversations, and the bowling is well covered pending player availability.

Stability across the cycle will be key for the Americans, with almost 30 players turning out for the side in the last cycle leading to a lack of continuity across the campaign.

Watch all the League 2 action live and free on ICC.tv (in select regions)