Final ICC Trophy place up for grabs in Malaysia

Eight emerging cricket nations will be chasing the final qualifying place for the ICC Trophy 2005 in the ICC World Cup Qualifying Series Division 2 tournament in Malaysia starting on 21 February.

The Cayman Islands, Fiji, Italy, Kuwait, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Qatar and Zambia will gather in Malaysia from 21-27 February with the winner traveling to Ireland five months later for the ICC Trophy.

With the five highest ranked teams from the ICC Trophy gaining automatic qualification for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 in the West Indies, the stakes are high for the eight hopefuls contesting the WCQS Division 2 tournament.

Matthew Kennedy, the ICC’s Global Development Manager, said that the ICC WCQS Division 2 tournament was part of a clear qualifying pathway to the ICC Cricket World Cup.

“The WCQS has really opened up participation opportunities for Associate and Affiliate nations,” said Mr Kennedy.

“The structure not only provides more competition for these nations, but gives them a clear path to follow and a realistic chance to qualify for cricket’s pinnacle One-Day International tournament.”

Teams competing in the ICC WCQS Division 2 tournament in Malaysia qualified either by winning their own regional qualifying series, or by narrowly missing out on direct qualification for the ICC Trophy.

Twelve teams will contest the ICC Trophy in Ireland (1-13 July 2005), while a record 16 teams will compete in the ICC CWC 2007 in the West Indies – an increase of two nations from the 14 that played in the ICC CWC 2003.

To see how the ICC WCQS structure works, visit the ICC’s official website at www.icc-cricket.com/development/wcqs.

The official WCQS Division 2 website can be found at: www.iccwcqmalaysia.com.

Full Match Schedule for WCQS Division 2, Malaysia