World Cup Qualifier: Meet the 10 teams
What: World Cup Qualifier 2018, Zimbabwe
The top three teams in each group of five countries advance to the Super Six stage. The top two teams in that stage will qualify for the World Cup. The bottom two from each group in the first stage play off to be ranked from seventh to 10th.
GROUP A
IRELAND
World Cup appearances: 2007, 2011, 2015
Pedigree: World Cup memories abound for this side, from Niall O’Brien’s matchwinning knock against Pakistan in 2007 to his brother Kevin’s record-breaking ton against England four years later.
NETHERLANDS
World Cup appearances: 1996, 2003, 2007, 2011 Pedigree: The Dutch will be the 13th team – and the only Associate nation – in the new one-day international league, having won the World Cricket League Championship.
PAPUA NEW GUINEA
World Cup appearances: None
Pedigree: The “Barramundis” reached the Qualifier by dint of finishing fourth in the World Cricket League Championship – two places above the UAE.
UAE
World Cup appearances: 1996, 2015 Pedigree: The national team made it to Zimbabwe the hard way, having had to navigate the nerve-jangling repechage Division 2 competition in Namibia last month.
WEST INDIES
World Cup appearances: 11 in total (first in 1975)
Pedigree: The two-time World Cup winners are playing in a Qualifier for the first time because of their lowly ranking in the one-day international cricket standings.
GROUP B
AFGHANISTAN
World Cup appearances: 2015 Pedigree: Their inexorable rise from refugee camps to the international cricket’s highest echelons reached a peak when they debuted on the biggest stage last time out.
HONG KONG
World Cup appearances:
None
Pedigree: Yet to play at the 50-over World Cup, but they have twice been to the first round of the T20 version, and twice played against the continent’s best in Asia Cup.
NEPAL
World Cup appearances: None
Pedigree: Their finest moment on the inter-nation stage so far came when they beat Afghanistan at the 2014 World T20. They reached Zimbabwe as runners-up in the World Cricket League Division 2.
SCOTLAND
World Cup appearances: 1999, 2007, 2015
Pedigree: Yet to win a World Cup match, despite having had 14 attempts. Had their best chance last time out, when they lost by one wicket to Afghanistan in New Zealand.
ZIMBABWE
World Cup appearances: Nine in total (first in 1983) Pedigree: They reached the Super Six stage of the World Cup in 1999 and 2003, when Zimbabwean cricket was in its pomp. The fall has been appreciable since.