With just six spots which were to be distributed among the fourteen teams that participated, tournament can be seen as hugely successful in terms of maintaining its unpredictability.
An action packed and unpredictable tournament was squeezed into a two week long carnival of Cricket's second tier's best teams when it got underway in UAE on October 18, exactly a year before the 'Big Dance' in Australia. With just six spots that were up for grabs, 14 teams, 51 matches and just 16 days, it was a tournament as hectic for the teams as it was a gripping one for Cricket's loyal viewers.
However, the change in fortunes during the course of the tournament and their first ever "solo title win" (with titles in 2008 and 2015 shared with Ireland and Scotland respectively after the finals were washed out on both occasions) highlighted the unpredictability of the tournament. They had a generally good outing in the group stage and defeated the surprise finalists PNG to whom they had conceded a win in the group stage which also turned out to be their only loss in the tournament.
Also known as Barramundis, PNG were the biggest story of this tournament as they sealed their maiden spot at any major ICC event in a rather convincing fashion. They topped their group to secure a direct spot at next year's T20 WC and were the runners-up at this tournament. Though their U-19 side has been a regular participant at the U-19 WC, this was the first time that their senior men's team had booked their place for a major ICC event. Those who follow the sport closely might acknowledge that this side has been rising slowly up the ladder but a leap as giant as playing the final at this qualifier is worth applauding considering that they missed out on qualification altogether at the previous edition in 2015.
Among the less fancied but potentially dangerous sides in this event, Canada's campaign was a mixed one. They started the tournament with moderately easy wins over Jersey and wild card entrants Nigeria. They toppled Ireland in their third outing of the campaign by a close margin of 10 runs but it can unarguably be deemed as the biggest of their three wins as Ireland looked a more balanced side prior to the end result of the match.
Just like Canada's, their campaign too was a mix of encouraging and disappointing performances. Just weeks before the tournament, two of their key batsmen, Anshuman Rath and Babar Hayat making themselves unavailable for selection along with brothers Tanveer Ahmed and Ehsan Nawaz also withdrawing from the squad for the tournament left the team with a lack of experienced players and replacement for these experienced players was hard to come by in such a short span of time.
UAE's campaign was embarrassingly plagued by match fixing allegations put on three of their key members Shaiman Anwar, Qadeer Ahmed and Mohammad Naveed and they were dropped from the squad just days before the start of the tournament. Naveed and Shaiman have been regular members of the UAE team from quite some time and their absence meant lack of experience going into a crucial tournament and that too on home soil.
They were a surprise entrants from the Americas region after getting better of more balanced USA on the home soil in Americas regional final in August 2019. They beat USA in both the round robin fixtures and finished second after Canada with four wins and a no-result from six games.
Once a leading associate and a potential test playing nation, their performances showed that the golden days of Kenyan cricket are long gone by. Namibia have since emerged as the leading associate in the region. They hardly looked competitive against established fellow associates in their group and managed victories only against Bermuda and first time entrants Singapore.
Another surprise entrant, Singapore created a buzz even before entering the tournament when they pipped favorites Nepal in the final of the Asian Regional finals for the solitary spot on offer for the global qualifier. And they further made a stronger statement of depth in associate cricket when they shocked pre-tournament favorites Scotland in a 2-run win on the opening day of the tournament.
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Let's have a quick look at each team's performance at this event :
1. Ireland
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| Ireland were defeated by less fancied Canada | Credit : Facebook - Cricket Ireland (facebook.com/CricketIreland) |
Surprisingly, Ireland were the only test playing nation at this event after Zimbabwe, who were originally scheduled to participate but got a suspension from ICC which was lifted a little too late to allow them to participate, were left out and Afghanistan got a direct entry into the Super 12s stage for the coming T20 WC next year by virtue of their better T20I ranking.
They were beaten by less fancied Canada and an understrength UAE side who have had their own devils to deal with throughout the tournament. Ireland topped their group to get the direct qualification for the WC next year but it was full of hiccups. They were tied on points with second placed Oman and were marginally better in terms of net run-rate. They also got some aid from Jersey's win over Oman on the final day of group stage matches which secured their first place finish. A better performance was expected from the tournament's only test playing team who have had a tag of 'giant killers' attached to their collars.
2. Scotland
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| Scotland's far from convincing campaign started with a 2-run defeat against first time entrants Singapore | Credit : Facebook - Cricket Scotland (facebook.com/CricketScotlandOfficial/ |
Given their recent form specially in the shortest format while leading up to the tournament, they were being regarded as pre-tournament favorites. However, a surprise 2-run loss to Singapore on the opening day weakened that presumption and it got further weakened by their 24-run loss at the hands of Namibia. They somehow recovered well enough to be in the top 4 in their group and only sealed their spot after playing the eliminator play-off against the UAE. They won that play-off very comfortably by a comprehensive margin and seemed to be showing the glimpses of their pre-tournament rhythm.
3. Netherlands
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| Eventual title winners Netherlands had a steady campaign | Credit : Facebook - KNCB (facebook.com/KNCB1883/) |
Eventual title winners Netherlands had a rather poor run of form in the T20I format in the matches preceding the tournament. They were bowled out for 94 by Oman and also faced a loss each at the hands of Nepal and Ireland in the Oman T20I series winning a solitary match and losing three. Year 2019 had been disappointing in general for the Dutch in this format.
4. Papua New Guinea (PNG)
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| PNG being tied on equal points with Netherlands topped their group on behalf of a better net run rate to secure direct qualification for the T20 World Cup | Credit : Facebook - Cricket PNG (facebook.com/cricketpng/) |
Also known as Barramundis, PNG were the biggest story of this tournament as they sealed their maiden spot at any major ICC event in a rather convincing fashion. They topped their group to secure a direct spot at next year's T20 WC and were the runners-up at this tournament. Though their U-19 side has been a regular participant at the U-19 WC, this was the first time that their senior men's team had booked their place for a major ICC event. Those who follow the sport closely might acknowledge that this side has been rising slowly up the ladder but a leap as giant as playing the final at this qualifier is worth applauding considering that they missed out on qualification altogether at the previous edition in 2015.
In the past, PNG have come agonizingly close to qualifying for the main event at previous two editions but on both times they have let the momentum slip only to fall out of contention eventually. But this time they ensured that they won't let the ghosts of the past haunt them again. In their captain, Assad Vala, they have a sportsperson of a very grounded and calm composure who led them with both bat and ball quite effectively at this tournament.
5. Namibia
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| Namibia found their form just at the right time to seal their spot for the 'Big Dance' in Australia | Credit : Facebook - Cricket Namibia (facebook.com/cricketnamibia1/) |
Namibia's fortunes have been somewhat similar to those of PNG's when it comes to a major qualifying event. They managed to top their group at this event's 2012 edition but slipped to a third place finish after losing the crucial play-offs and missed out on qualification for that year's T20 WC. Had the current format been in place back then, topping the table would have ensured their qualification. They have been on the fringes of top level associate cricket from quite some time and have also played in the 50-Over WC in 2003. Since then, their journey has been up and down but it seems that they have started to climb steadily again. Prior to this tournament, they had also secured ODI status after winning ICC's last World Cricket League Division 2 tournament played in April 2019.
They secured a third place finish in their group which gave them two shots at qualifying for the 'Big Dance' but they made sure that they would only need one shot to save themselves from the nerves of playing in another winner-takes-all encounter as they beat Oman in a come-from-behind contest through their powerful hitting and then restricting Oman to a lesser total by strangling their batting line-up in their deadly spin bowling.
6. Oman
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| This will be Oman's second consecutive appearance at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup | Credit : Facebook - Oman Cricket (facebook.com/Oman-Cricket-464747200238334/) |
Another associate team with great promises and encouraging results to boast off. They beat Ireland at previous ICC Men's T20 WC in 2016 and finished second behind them in their group this time. Just like Namibia, they got two shots at the qualification spots by virtue of their position in the group. Though they lost the play-off against Namibia, they rectified their mistakes and defeated Hong Kong in a closely fought match in the eliminator play-off to book their tickets for Australia next year.
7. Canada
Among the less fancied but potentially dangerous sides in this event, Canada's campaign was a mixed one. They started the tournament with moderately easy wins over Jersey and wild card entrants Nigeria. They toppled Ireland in their third outing of the campaign by a close margin of 10 runs but it can unarguably be deemed as the biggest of their three wins as Ireland looked a more balanced side prior to the end result of the match.
However, Canada succumbed to three successive defeats at the hands of Oman, Hong Kong and UAE respectively. These three successive losses along with the margins of losses resulted in a net run-rate inferior to that of Hong Kong's and Canada's fifth place finish which meant that they were out of the contention for the qualification spots straight away.
8. Hong Kong
Just like Canada's, their campaign too was a mix of encouraging and disappointing performances. Just weeks before the tournament, two of their key batsmen, Anshuman Rath and Babar Hayat making themselves unavailable for selection along with brothers Tanveer Ahmed and Ehsan Nawaz also withdrawing from the squad for the tournament left the team with a lack of experienced players and replacement for these experienced players was hard to come by in such a short span of time.
Absence of some of their important players certainly hit their performance levels and they managed to get fourth place finish in their group which gave them only one try at one of the six available spots. They lost to Oman in the eliminator play-off match and crashed out of the tournament.
9. United Arab Emirates (UAE)
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| UAE could not use the home advantage to their benefit | Credit : Facebook - Emirates Cricket (facebook.com/emiratescricket/) |
UAE's campaign was embarrassingly plagued by match fixing allegations put on three of their key members Shaiman Anwar, Qadeer Ahmed and Mohammad Naveed and they were dropped from the squad just days before the start of the tournament. Naveed and Shaiman have been regular members of the UAE team from quite some time and their absence meant lack of experience going into a crucial tournament and that too on home soil.
Just two days into the tournament and two more players, Ashfaq Ahmed (got suspended by ICC) and Ghulam Shabber (fled to Pakistan), who were part of the original squad had to be replaced. Despite the turmoil going on behind the stage, UAE pulled together to manage a third place finish in their group with some shining all-round performances from their seasoned campaigner Rohan Mustafa. They crashed out of the tournament after two back-to-back defeats in the play-offs against the Netherlands and Scotland respectively.
10. Bermuda
They were a surprise entrants from the Americas region after getting better of more balanced USA on the home soil in Americas regional final in August 2019. They beat USA in both the round robin fixtures and finished second after Canada with four wins and a no-result from six games.
However, they failed to make any impact at this tournament and failed to win a solitary match sticking to the bottom of the table with six losses and a net run-rate of -2.839.
11. Jersey
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| Jersey performed reasonably well given that they have a very small player pool | Credit : Facebook - Jersey Cricket Board (facebook.com/Jersey-Cricket-Board-291025747655246/) |
A territory with a population more-or-less equivalent to that of a sell-out MCG, they fared far better than what was expected of them. They have also played in the tournament's previous edition in 2015 and were able to topple more fancied Nepal and Hong Kong sides.
This time around, they managed to bag three wins from their six games and were up into the contention for a 4th place finish till their last group stage match which would have given them a chance to seal a place at main event via eliminator play-off. They needed to beat stronger looking Oman by a sixty run margin to improve their net run-rate and move ahead of Hong Kong in the table.
They failed to keep up with the mathematical implications and only managed to win by a 14 run margin. This however, changed the equation of the table and ensured Ireland's top position giving them a direct pathway to the next year's T20 WC.
12. Kenya
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| Kenya managed to win against Bermuda and Singapore only | Credit : Facebook - KNCB (facebook.com/KNCB1883/) |
Once a leading associate and a potential test playing nation, their performances showed that the golden days of Kenyan cricket are long gone by. Namibia have since emerged as the leading associate in the region. They hardly looked competitive against established fellow associates in their group and managed victories only against Bermuda and first time entrants Singapore.
Finishing fifth in the group and falling out of contention straight away, Kenya exposed the unstable and somewhat downward trajectory of Cricket in their backyard.
13. Singapore
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| Singapore beat favourites Nepal in Asia Regional Finals tournament to book their place for the global qualifier tournament | Credit : Facebook - Singapore Cricket Association (facebook.com/SingaporeCricket/) |
Another surprise entrant, Singapore created a buzz even before entering the tournament when they pipped favorites Nepal in the final of the Asian Regional finals for the solitary spot on offer for the global qualifier. And they further made a stronger statement of depth in associate cricket when they shocked pre-tournament favorites Scotland in a 2-run win on the opening day of the tournament.
Their win against Scotland highlighted the significance of such elite tournaments for the emerging teams and left the tournament wide open with many viewers having started to anticipate more shocks coming their way during the course of the tournament. However, they got the reality check as the tournament progressed and lack of experience showed up in all facets of the game leaving them to console themselves with a sixth place finish in their group and two wins (over Scotland and Bermuda) against their name.
14. Nigeria
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| Nigeria, who finished in 3rd place at Africa regional finals, were invited to participate in the tournament in place of Zimbabwe | Credit : Facebook - Nigeria Cricket Federation (facebook.com/nigeriacricketfederation/) |
Being the wild card entrants and the circumstances in which they gained entry into the global qualifier tournament, it can be said that they were here to 'make up the numbers' after a bit of luck coupled with their third place finish at Africa regional finals gave them a last minute call-up in the wake of Zimbabwe getting suspended by the ICC.
However, Nigerian team had set their expectations right and did a reality check well before entering the tournament as they knew for themselves that no fairy-tale campaign is going to take them past the group stage. With an eye on ICC U-19 WC beginning January 2020, they included six such players in their squad who are set to appear for Nigeria in the U-19 WC next year to give them ample game time and exposure to better quality teams and the match environment.
With no surprises, they finished bottom of their group but they should take a lot of positives from these outings as they batted out their allotted 20 overs in five out of their six games and got bowled out only on the penultimate delivery in the game against Oman. These outings gave their batsmen the experience of staying on the crease as it will come handy in the longer version of white ball cricket when their U-19 side takes to the field in January next year.
Conclusion :
Nothing should be taken away from the teams who did not make it to the 'Big Dance' as they still managed to entertain the viewers and played a vital part in making the tournament span out the way it did - unpredictable, exciting and refreshing. All in all, this global qualifier tournament served the purpose it was meant for.
But with ICC planning to make some big changes to the qualifier model, this could be the last tournament in its current form. We will have to wait and see what the new format will look like and whether it will add more depth to the Qualifier model or not. Hopefully, changes will be made for good and if that isn't the case somehow, ones who witnessed the games at this tournament may want to cherish them dearly.
Note : Extra credit to Oman Cricket for their crucial suggestions regarding this blog.
Note : Extra credit to Oman Cricket for their crucial suggestions regarding this blog.
