Oman face Ireland in their Cricket World Cup Qualifier opener

Oman have been clubbed with former World Cup winners Sri Lanka, Ireland, Scotland and neighbours UAE in Group B as the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2023 fixtures were released on Tuesday afternoon.

Hosts Zimbabwe, West Indies, the Netherlands, Nepal and United States make up Group A with ten teams competing for the final two spots at ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 in India.

The ten-nation World Cup qualifier will be held in Zimbabwe from June 18 - July 9 across four venues in Harare and Bulawayo.

Oman, who are aiming to qualify for the Cricket World Cup for the first time, will begin their campaign on June 19 in Bulawayo against Ireland followed by a game against UAE on June 21.

On June 23, Oman will take on 1996 World Cup winners Sri Lanka before concluding the league stage with a match against Scotland on June 25. Each side will play the other teams in their group once with the top three from the groups progressing to the Super Six stage.

Each teams will play three Super Six matches against the sides they have not meet in the group stage. All points won in the groups will be carried over to the Super Six stage apart from those gained against the bottom two from each group. Both the finalists will progress to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. The Super Six stage will commence on June 29, while the bottom two teams from each group will compete in the playoff.

For the first time at this event, DRS will be used for all matches from the Super Six stage.

The qualifier will begin with hosts Zimbabwe taking on Nepal and two-time World Cup winners West Indies meeting USA on June 18. Each match will be of high stakes, with the top two teams qualifying for the global one-day showpiece and assured of nine guaranteed matches in India.

Queen’s Sports Club and Bulawayo Athletic Club in Bulawayo, Harare Sports Club and Takashinga Cricket Club in Harare will share 34 matches between them, with Harare Sports Club staging the final on July 9.