ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2013

Dubai, Oct 7, 2013: The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced that the final stages of the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2013 will be held at Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

The revised schedule now sees the final four days of the tournament move to the capital city.

The double-header matches at Zayed Cricket Stadium, on the last two days of the tournament (29 and 30 November), will now have start times of 1400 and 1800.

Qualification Pathway

The tournament will see 16 sides, split into two groups of eight, compete for six available spots in the ICC World Twenty20 2014 in Bangladesh. The sides that top the two groups at the conclusion of the group stages will automatically qualify for Bangladesh 2014.

The sides that finish second and third in each of the two groups will play cross-over matches with the two winners also progressing to the ICC World Twenty20 2014.

The sides that finish fourth and fifth in each of the two groups will also play cross-over matches, with the winners of these two matches then playing the losers of the second v third cross-over fixtures; the victors of these matches will then also progress into the ICC World Twenty20 Bangladesh 2014.

The schedule for the cross-over matches is as follows:

Wednesday 27 November

Match 60 (Play Off) – 2nd Group A v 3rd Group B, (1000-1300), Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Match 61 (Play Off) – 4th Group A v 5th Group B, (1000-1300), Abu Dhabi Oval 1, Abu Dhabi

Match 62(Play Off) – 5th Group A v 4th Group B, (1000-1300), Abu Dhabi Oval 2, Abu Dhabi

Match 63 (Play Off) – 3rd Group A v 2nd Group B, (1400-1700), Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Thursday 28 November

Match 64 (Play Off) – Winner Match 61 v Loser Match 60, (1000-1300), Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Match 65 (9/10 Ranking) – Loser Match 61 v Loser Match 62, (1000-1300), Abu Dhabi Oval 2, Abu Dhabi

Match 66 (Play Off) – Winner Match 62 v Loser of Match 63, (1400-1700), Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Once the six qualifying teams have been identified, the event will see a semi-finals double-header taking place at Zayed Cricket Stadium where the winner of Group A will play the winner of Match 63 and the winner of Group B will play the winner of Match 60. The victors of these two games will then progress to the final of the tournament.

The losers of the semi-finals will then play each other in the third/fourth play-off while the final two qualifying sides will play a fifth/sixth play-off.

The final finishing positions of the teams in this event will determine to which group they will go into for the first round of the ICC World Twenty20 2014 tournament, alongside Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.

The schedule for the play-off matches are as follows:

Friday 29 November

Match 67 (7/8 Ranking) – Loser Match 64 v Loser Match 66, (1000-1300), Abu Dhabi Oval 1, Abu Dhabi

Match 68 (Semi-Final 1) – Winner Group B v Winner Match 60, (1400-1700), Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Match 69 (5/6 Rankings) – Winner Match 64 v Winner Match 66, (1400-1700), Abu Dhabi Oval 1, Abu Dhabi

Match 70 (Semi-Final 2) – Winner Group A v Winner Match 63, (1800-2100), Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Saturday 30 November

Match 71 (3/4 Ranking) – Loser Semi-Final 1 v Loser of Semi-Final 2, (1400-1700), Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Match 72 (Final) – Winner Semi-Final 1 v Winner Semi-Final 2, (1800-2100), Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Groups for the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2013

Group A – Ireland (A1), Namibia (A2), Canada (A3), Uganda (A4), USA (A5), Italy (A6), Hong Kong (A7) and the United Arab Emirates UAE) (A8)

Group B – Afghanistan (B1), Netherlands (B2), Scotland (B3), Kenya (B4), Bermuda (B5), Denmark (B6), Nepal (B7) and Papua New Guinea (PNG) (B8)

Background of ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier

The ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier has grown in stature since it was first held in Belfast, Ireland, in August 2008. That event comprised the then six top Associate Members – Bermuda, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, Netherlands and Scotland.

Ireland and Netherlands shared the trophy when the final was washed out without a ball being bowled. The two sides, along with Scotland – which subsequently replaced Zimbabwe – qualified for the ICC World Twenty20 2009, which was staged in England. Pakistan won the tournament beating Sri Lanka in the final.

The UAE hosted the second edition of the tournament in February 2010, which was contested by eight teams, the six sides having T20I status – Afghanistan, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, Netherlands and Scotland – as well as the host, UAE, and United States of America (USA), which were specially invited by the ICC.

After 17 matches over six days at two venues in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Afghanistan and Ireland reached the final and qualified for the ICC World Twenty20 2010 which was staged in the West Indies and won by England. Afghanistan won the qualifying tournament when it defeated Ireland by eight wickets.

The 2012 edition was also played in the UAE, and was contested by Afghanistan, Netherlands, Canada, Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong, Bermuda, Denmark, Nepal, Ireland, Kenya, Scotland, Namibia, Uganda, Oman, Italy and USA.

The tournament, played in March 2012, was ultimately won by Ireland who defeated Afghanistan in the final, with both sides making it through to the ICC World Twenty20 Sri Lanka 2012, a tournament ultimately won by the West Indies. —- ICC